Across the state, as torrential rain and flash flooding caused destruction and chaos last week, Vermonters posted videos and photos online of their battered towns, overflowing rivers and deteriorated roads. Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger was in Burlington filming the raging Winooski River at the falls and crowdsourced videos from around the state to visually tell the story of the storm. Vermont had not seen a historic flooding event like this since Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and, before that, the flood of 1927.

Sollberger checked in by phone with Jeremy Ayers, whose family home and pottery studio in Waterbury flooded in 2011. In preparation for last week's flood, friends helped the Ayerses move everything off the first floor and clear out the pottery studio. Although the water level didn't rise as high as during Irene, basement flooding destroyed their new furnace, hot water heaters and electrical panel — which means the family of four can't return home for at least a month.

Sollberger Zoomed with Mickey Myers, who has lived in Johnson for 20 years. Myers' house was undamaged by the floodwater, but she is hosting four family members whose home was ruined. Myers was also worried about Johnson's Sterling Market — the only grocery store in town — which suffered extensive flooding and destruction. The owners have no immediate plans to reopen.

Samara Styles posted video updates from her home in Barre, where she has lived for one year with her husband and young daughter. Sollberger spoke to Styles via Zoom about her flood experience. Styles' house narrowly escaped the rising water, but other houses on her block were not as lucky.

Tom Rogers of Stowe Mountain Rescue spoke to Sollberger by Zoom about his harrowing experience helping people evacuate Barre, Berlin and Middlesex. Downtown Barre's streets were filled with rising water, and Rogers described the chaos of the scene. He estimated that his team rescued more than 30 people.

Finally, Sollberger spoke with Bob Ray by phone. Bob and his wife, Kim Ray, have lived in South Londonderry for decades. The couple had flooding in Irene, but water was much higher this time and threatened their home. They posted online about their efforts to construct a barrier around their house using sheet metal and pitchforks. Amazingly, the rain stopped, and their home was spared. They discussed the recovery efforts in their area, which was hit hard.

As the recovery phase was just beginning, Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about compiling this video.

What a wild week.

Indeed. So many Vermonters are reeling right now. The Saturday before the floods, I was filming a 122-year-old barn in Richmond for a video about its restoration. I had heard about the upcoming storm but didn't realize how serious it was. I did not expect to experience another Irene in my lifetime.

It rained on and off all day that Sunday. I live in Burlington by the Winooski River, so I went to bed full of anxiety. I spent most of Monday surfing social media to see what was happening around the state. It became clear quite early on that this was a huge disaster, much like Irene in 2011. I bumped my barn video and started crowdsourcing media to cover the floods.

You found some amazing footage.

Many thanks to everyone who shared their footage with me. The drone footage is particularly stunning. Back in 2011, I also used other people's videos to show what was happening during Irene. But smartphones and social media have become even more ubiquitous since then, and I was quickly overwhelmed with options. It's hard to imagine experiencing a life-changing storm like this in 1927, when there was no way to share information quickly with fellow Vermonters.

Did you ask permission to use the footage?

Yes, as much as possible. I know many people were low on cell power and not checking all their notifications. But I got through to a lot of folks and tried to show an accurate representation of the flooding across the state.

Vermont was suddenly front-page news in the national media, and camera crews were flocking to record the devastation. I stayed home in Burlington and compiled the stories that other people were sharing. I also walked down to the Winooski Falls each day to record the level of the river, which rose higher and higher. It is so strange not to be affected by the flooding when so many other Vermonters are struggling. Making this video made me feel less helpless.

What stood out to you most from the interviews you did?

I saw Jeremy Ayers posting about his friends helping to clear out his space. And, of course, I was worried for his family. I visited Waterbury twice in 2011 — four days after the flood, then again four months later — to make two videos about the damage and recovery. They did a beautiful job restoring their home to its former glory.

Jeremy and his wife, Georgia, didn't tell their young children much about that devastation. But in preparation for this upcoming storm, they shared the two videos with their sons to show them that bad things happen — and then the community comes together to take care of each other. And so they will, once again.