Vermont high school football player helps with recovery in his bare feet after losing home
The high school football player and his family had to evacuate their home in the small town of Barre after historic floods submerged cities under several feet of water earlier this week.
Vermont recovers after worst flood in more than a decade
The people of Barre, Vermont, are working to rebuild homes, businesses and roads after this week's storm, as another storm heads toward the Green Mountain State. FOX Weather's Katie Byrne reports. July 14, 2023.
BARRE, Vt. – Jaquan Johnson no longer had a pair of shoes that fit after historic floods destroyed his home, but that didn’t stop him from helping a local business get back on its feet.
The high school football player and his family had to evacuate their home in the small town of Barre after floods submerged cities under several feet of water earlier this week.
Despite having lost everything, Johnson grabbed a couple of his friends, and they went to help businesses in their community with flood clean-up efforts.
Jaquan Johnson speaks to FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne (off-screen). July 14, 2023.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
"There's people who need help," Johnson said in an interview with FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne. "I know my house is gone, and it was a loss, but that couldn't stop me from helping the community that has built me up over the past year and a half I've lived here."
One of the people he helped was Valerie Parrott, owner of Yipes! Auto Accessories in Barre. According to Parrott, floodwaters rose 3 feet in the main areas of their facility and 10 feet in the basement, causing the business to lose much of its equipment and jobs.
On Thursday, volunteers from the community came out to help Parrott restore her flood-damaged business. Johnson was among those volunteers.
Recently having his own home destroyed by floods, Johnson did not have a pair of shoes that fit while he worked. He noted that he began cleaning while wearing a pair of undersized boots, but after a couple of hours, his feet became sore, and he took off the shoes and continued to work.
"I had no other shoes to change into," Johnson said.
Johnson helps Valerie Parrott hold a panel, while it is being hosed down. July 14, 2023.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
As clean-up efforts continue, Johnson remains positive and devoted to helping the people and the Vermont town he cares about.
"This is easily the best place I've ever lived in," he said. "The people that I have around me, not only my foster parents, but just my friends and the community as a whole, these guys deserve every bit of my energy that I can give. So, that's what they get every time."
Donations to help Johnson and his family can be made on their GoFundMe page.