In Lamoille County, property buyout process offers little solace for some flood survivors

Matt Lacefield surveys the wreckage of his home in Johnson after a flooding event on July 11, 2023. Courtesy photoThis story by Aaron Calvin was first published in News & Citizen on Dec. 4, 2025.Nearly two and a half years ago, Mandy Lacefield and her husband, Matt, woke in the night as dark water seeped into their home in Johnson.Lacefield and Matt, trapped in their home on River Road West overlooking the confluence of the Lamoille and Gihon rivers, had to be evacuated the night the river