well, amber lyon, thank you for the update.>>> i mentioned crews and helicopters from the vermont national guard and elsewhere are airlifting aid to cut-off vermont communities. joining me via skype is major general dube from cole chester. thank you for your time. can you tell us what the guard is doing to help vermonters as we speak? >> well, we've been extremely busy. we transitioned from a search-and-rescue mission to a mission of sustainment, and the towns that were just mentioned about being isolated, you know, the governor has made it a priority for us to have some type of road access, but that doesn't mean that people can come and go because most of those roads that we've opened p up -- the idea is to have emergencies that maybe we can get some of our people out. most of what we're doing the last couple of days has been by helicopters to bring food, water, medicine, cots, tarps, that kind of stuff and by truck, by helicopter, and then we will transition to more aid via road, you know, once the roads get a little bit more

amber lyon reporting from wilmington in vermont.e're also learning that that earthquake that hit here in washington, d.c., not that long ago had more than impact on a virginia nuclear power plant than we first thought. our brian todd has been investigating the situation over at the plant in virginia. what are you learning, brian? >> well, wolf, for the first time in american history, an earthquake has actually shifted those massive casks that hold spent nuclear fuel. these weigh 115 tons each and hold at least 15 metric tons of spent fuel. this information coming out now, even though officials at the plant knew about it shortly after the quake. east coast's biggest earthquake in decades had this effect on a school at the epicenter. now it turns out just a few miles away in central virginia, huge containers holding spent nuclear fuel rods, each of them 16 feet high, weighing 115 tons, holding at least 15 metric tons of spent fuel, shifted during the earthquake. something plant officials never said at the time. an official with domini

we want to check in on now, susan candiotti in new jersey, amber lyon in vermont. you. the president is going to be headed your way this weekend. what do the people want him to hear and see? >> reporter: i think the message very likely will be send us help and more likely than not send us money. of course this state has been declared a federal disaster area by president obama and so help is very likely to be on its way. we're standing in the middle of a parking lot and over here is a street. this street leads to a neighborhood, a neighborhood that obviously remains cut off, unless you can go in and out by boat. we had that chance yesterday, some people who live back there or know people back there gave us a ride. >> this is lake pasaeic. >> reporter: now called lake pasaeic. i'm seeing what it are probably the tops of the fences leading up to the front door. that is not a house on stilts, that's a garage underwater. they stayed around that house? of course lost the car. oh, a classic mustang lost. you've gone through this time and again. why do you and other people

let's go to the amber lyon once against joining us from wilmington in vermont. what is the latest? what's going on? >> well, out here today, we saw inspection crews going around inspection the flood-damaged buildings to see if they needed to be condemned or if the big owners can start to rebuild. we're seeing more and more just belongings turned into junk. after the floodwaters caked everything. even the trash cans have become trash. i'm going to throw on the mask. the air is a little dangerous to breathe. this line up here, that's how high the wall of water came. water squept through this town, then went back down, definitely leaving a lot of destruction. look at this. this used to be a clothing, jewelry shop. i spoke with the owner. she was very upset. she thought she had flood insurance, then realized only the building was covered and none of her clothing and jewelry was covered. she said she faced about $200,000 in losses. we're headed noun into bean heads, this is the popular coffee shop. people used to sit here, drink coffee, read the papers. this is owned by a local couple w

there is more on the damage from cnn's amber lyon. >> we can handle snow, but not this much water allonce. >> reporter: it poured through the 40--year-old business. >> it's devastating. it's devastating, you know. >> reporter: eileen's family business once made $1 million a year, but revenue dwindled by three quarters in the economic downturn. now the family says they are facing at least $300,000 in damages, and they don't have flood insurance. >> we snuck in and came in, and it was just -- it was just -- you know, we're still in shock. >> mud covers the clothes at the consignment shop, but these two won't be covered by insurance. >>. >> these were nice gucci leather pants. >> this is a local artist, and her entire studio filled with originals was washed away. >> when it was gone, i just couldn't believe it. >> reporter: 30 of her original paintings went down stream with the gallery. >> i think the one that got me the most was a piece in 1978 of my grahm's house, and i was recovering from a broken nuk when i did it. >> reporter: but the floods have not washed away the sense of communi

amber lyon is in the middle of it right now in wilmington, vermont. osh, i -- talk order somebody yesterday whose brother, amber, quite frankly, went there for a destination wedding and taken almost a week to get back. a lot of people are really stranded up there. >>. >> reporter: the roads are a mess. at one point 20 communities across vermont were completely isolated after roads leading in and out of town were cut off. we spoke with vermont emergency management officials. they say that all but one community have been reopened. we are in one of those communities, wilmington. we are out in front of the country store. this is a family business. been around since 1836. the owners say they have never seen anything like this in a wall of water swept through town just destroying these stores and leaving a layer of mud and muck on this product turning what could have been profit into trash. we have maple syrup. vermont is famous for this. this one jug worth 50 bucks now just trash. chess over here, clothes, all types of inventory that really this town says t