Cat Cafe Owner In Vermont Saves Animal By Destroying Own Floor

As Vermont faces its worst flood in over a hundred years, a cat cafe owner sacrifices his own business for the safety of the animals.

Alexis Dexter, owner of Kitty Korner Café in downtown Barre, stayed with the over 50 shelter cats in her café to keep them safe during the downpour of heavy rain.

A long-duration storm swamped Vermont's creeks and rivers and pushed the Wrightsville Dam to its breaking point, flooding Barre's Main Street with so much water that it poured into Dexter's business.

On Monday afternoon, officials had ordered evacuations for those who were within the flood zone; however, the café was outside of those boundaries.

After a few hours, the water started to rush into the building. Dexter moved the cats to higher ground. She then dug a hole in the floor of her business with a screwdriver and a hammer so that the water could drain into the basement.

"There was no way we could evacuate 50-plus shelter cats that are here, some of which are on medical regiments," Dexter told Newsweek. "There was nowhere we could get that many cats in short order, especially with how high the water was and how fast it was moving."

By Tuesday afternoon, the flood water had started to subside and the power lines had been restored. Most of the businesses in the area were running sump pumps.

Although the cats were saved from drowning, the store sustained damage, especially in the basement. Dexter added that many supplies and equipment for the business were destroyed.

Dexter, described as a cat lover by WCAX, opened the first and only cat café in Vermont in August 2020.

She also expressed concerned about the possibility of a spillover of Wrightsville Dam, which can make the situation even worst.

"I hope to God it doesn't," she said.

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Concerns at the Wrightsville Dam

Montpelier officials closely monitored the Wrightsville Dam on the city's northern outskirts as the floodwater threatened to overwhelm the barrier.

The CBS News reported that on Tuesday night, the authorities announced the dam was "beginning to recede," and the Winooski and North Branch rivers are now below the flood stage.

However, Montpelier Town Manager Bill Fraser stressed that the dam remains a concern, but the city is shifting its response to recovery mode, with public employees expected to start removing mud and debris from the streets. Business owners should also expect building inspections in the coming days.

"The water in the dam is still up there but it stabilized. We are feeling like the water going over the spillway of the dam is not an imminent threat. It looks like it won't breach. That is good. That is one less thing we have to have on our front burner," Fraser said.

State of Emergency

On Tuesday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Vermont.

"The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population," the White House statement read.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott said that the authorities had carried out at least 117 rescues and 67 evacuations from floods, fortunately, no injuries or deaths have been recorded so far.

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