Help Jenny and John Recover from Devastating Flooding

Jenny (Land) and John Mackenzie and their two 15 year old daughters, Lila and Kate, lost everything in the July 2024 flash flooding in Vermont when more than 7 inches of rain hit in less than 24 hours. A stream beside their house in Peacham flooded as a beaver dam broke upstream and came down as a wave that engulfed the home at eight feet. The resulting flood wrecked the house and carried their barn and both of their cars down the river. An enormous mature ash tree landed on top of the house the next morning. They lost everything on the first floor of their house, the finished basement, the land around their house on all sides, the septic system, the well, the furnace and oil tank, their barn and all of its contents. Luckily Jenny and John and the girls got out of the house safely with their pets.

This flood comes after devastating floods in this area in 2011, where they flooded, rebuilt their foundation to withstand almost anything, and have now been impacted even worse than before.

At this point, neighbors have rallied to help them get beds and clothing out of the second floor of the house, and to find temporary housing. While they have a modest amount of flood insurance, it is no where close to covering the cost of damage to the house, the loss of the barn, and all the contents. They are very grateful for good neighbors, but need our financial support to get back on their feet. They may be able to apply for some FEMA assistance– if the area is declared a federal emergency– but even the maximum amount of coverage would cover only a small portion of what they need.

Jenny and John are both teachers at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, where the twins also attend school. Any amount of funding will be helpful as they work to recover from this devastating set of losses.