Vermont man drowns at home as flooding claims first victim with more rain predicted – news
The towns of Londonderry and Weston remained largely inaccessible on Wednesday
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Your support makes all the difference.Vermont authorities confirmed the first flood-related death following catastrophic rain on Wednesday.
Some 117 rescues were made in Vermont as the towns of Londonderry and Weston remained largely inaccessible. Officials were beginning to assess how many homes had been destroyed and what the financial cost would be from damaged roads, bridges and railways.
Vermont Emergency Management confirmed on Thursday that 63-year-old Stephen Davoll died as a result of a drowning incident in his home on Wednesday. It is the first death linked to the historic floodings in the state.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared the floodings a “1-in-1,000-year weather event” caused by the climate crisis, after a woman died in the Empire State when she was swept away while trying to escape her home with her dog.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott said at a news conference that thunderstorms were expected to move into parts of the state by Thursday night, which could cause more flash flooding.
“The period we are more concerned about is Sunday because that could be more widespread and heavier, but not nearly on the scale of what we saw earlier in the week,” National Weather Service meteorologist Seth Kutikoff also said.
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WATCH: Residents kayak through flooded town as Vermont hit by severe flooding
Road reparation continues in Orange County after floods
Debora Kopald, who lives in the Town of Highland in Orange County, New York, — where a woman died after she was swept away while trying to escape her home with her dog, told The Independent that all road roads were either washed out or covered with boulders on Monday.
“I live at the end of ... a hill- and there is only one way out - and part of the road caved in - they are telling us not to drive on the rest [because] it might cave in all the way. It’s a fire hazard and very serious,” Ms Kopald said.
Weather conditions have improved in Orange County, as Vermont gears for storms set to hit the state between 4pm and 8pm.
People return to devastated houses after water recedes
Residents in Vermont are returning home to find their houses and belongings damaged after severe flooding left the capital city Montpelier as a swirling, brown waterway.
One resident posted a video of their front yard with the entry door blocked with mud and stones and car stuck.
Possible renewed flooding in Easter New York, according to Weather Service
“Showers and thunderstorms moving across the region Thursday afternoon through early Friday may produce renewed flooding in Eastern New York and Western New England,” the National Weather Service said on Thursday.
Rains expected for Vermont and US northeast
While stifling temperatures have gripped many parts of the country, Vermont and other Northeastern states barely have had time to recover from historic flooding in recent days when the National Weather Service forecast more heavy rainfall across parts of New England in the coming days, where rivers and streams are already running high.
Rains and severe weather forecast for southern Vermont
Vermont residents are poised for another deluge with the National Weather Service warning: “Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening. Some t-storms will be severe with damaging winds, large hail, and locally heavy rainfall.”
The storms are set to hit the state between 4pm and 8pm with saturated soils likely to exacerbate runoff and flooding.
Vermont under severe thunderstorm watch
“This isn’t over, and it won’t be over after this storm,” Gov. Phil Scott said on Thursday. “Today I will submit the request for President Biden for a major disaster declaration, which, if approved, would provide federal disaster relief funds, which would be very helpful to communities in the recovery phase.”
Snow shovels repurposed to clear mud from floods
Volunteers pulled out their snow shovels Wednesday to clear inches of mud after torrential rain and flooding inundated communities across Vermont, trapping people in homes, closing roadways and littering streets and businesses with debris.
The water drained off most streets in the state capital of Montpelier, where the swollen Winooski River flooded basements and ground floors, destroying merchandise and furniture across the picturesque downtown. Other communities cleaned up as well from historic floods that were more destructive than Tropical Storm Irene in many places. Dozens of roads remained closed, and thousands of homes and businesses are damaged.
But with people still being rescued, high water still blocking some roads and new flash flood warnings issued with more rain on the way, the crisis is far from over, according to state Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison.
“Vermonters, keep your guard up, and do not take chances,” she said.
Morrison said urban search and swift water rescue teams came to the aid of least 32 people and numerous animals Tuesday night in northern Vermont’s Lamoille County, bringing the total to more than 200 rescues since Sunday, and more than 100 evacuations.
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