In a crisis, sometimes it takes your brain a moment to catch up to reality. Such was the case for me on a particularly rainy night in mid-July. As my wife and I settled in to watch a movie in our den, I noticed a puddle shimmering in the glow of the television. "For real?" I cried, wondering which of our dogs had peed on the floor. When I turned on the lights, it was obvious that a dog wasn't to blame; the room was taking on water like a foundering ship. Though our Charlotte house sits on high ground about 25 feet above a nearby creek, the night's persistent and intense rain — more than five inches in four hours — had overwhelmed our perimeter drain. In minutes, our basement was ankle-deep in water. We weren't alone. On July 10 and 11 — the one-year anniversary of Vermont's devastating summer storm of 2023 — a combination of record rainfall, flash flooding and rivers overflowing their banks once again inundated the homes and businesses of thousands of Vermonters. We were witnessing firsthand the impacts of climate change: more frequent and intense storms; greater year-round precipitation, more of which falls as rain; faster winds; and higher temperatures. On the flip side, Vermont is also experiencing more severe and frequent droughts, which can wreak havoc for homeowners who rely on wells rather than on municipal water systems. Ultimately, we were among the lucky ones; our soggy basement was vacuumed dry by the following morning, leaving behind no serious damage. But it was clear that we needed to not only prepare for the next big rainstorm but also reassess our property's resilience to the changing climate. Since stormwater management is Vermont's most pressing climate-change concern, there are things that homeowners, homebuyers and landlords can do to safeguard themselves and their properties. First thing to consider: location, location, location. Whether you're building a new house or buying an existing one, it's essential to know whether it sits in a floodplain, said John Lens, a professional engineer and professor in the University of Vermont's College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. Federal floodplain maps are available online, though town offices can usually provide that information, too. Such info is critical because homeowner insurance policies do not automatically cover flood damage. It's also important to know what kind of soil the house sits on —…