Montepelier, Vt. – Torrential flooding in the Northeast has caused tens of millions of dollars in damage across the state, with residents paddling along major roads in Vermont’s capital city in shock and panic. .
The downpour — up to 9 inches of rain in parts of Vermont — knocked out radio towers used to dispatch emergency vehicles. Police, fire and public workers were evacuated to a nearby city water treatment plant due to heavy flooding in the basement of the police department, city hall and the fire department.
President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency. Vermont Governor Phil Scott warned residents early Tuesday that the water was still rising.
“We are not out of the woods,” he said at the press conference. “This is nowhere close.”
Residents grabbed pets and rolled on high ground. Authorities rescued more than 175 people, including dozens of people, from flooded buildings, homes and cars late Tuesday.
There is no word on whether it will affect human life.
National Guard helicopters were conducting evacuations in remote areas inaccessible to water rescue teams, and many were still deployed late Tuesday night.
For the people who made it to safety, once the water started to recede, the only worry was what the water had taken away and what was left.
“It was just ‘wow.’ When you see it, it becomes real,” said Alaina Beauregard, 19, who paddled a green canoe in downtown Montpelier just before noon Tuesday, looking for gas.
In places, the smell of paint thinner and dirt hung in the air.
Floodwaters typically carry toxic chemical stews from flooded buildings, from gasoline and paint to sewage and household cleaners, and these Vermont floodwaters were no exception.
The flooding is Vermont’s summer tourist season, and many local residents worry that it could pile another challenge on already struggling local businesses.
Beauregard and Gavin Young, 18, were sitting at home and realized that without gas, they would not be able to get anywhere after the water receded.
“We’re seeing a powerful act of nature,” Young said. It’s an amazing feeling, but you see all the underwater stores and all the wreckage.”
Across the small town, fire alarms blared as shop owners scrambled to find their property and mourned the devastation.
Kelly Tackett, owner of Minnie’s Children’s Store on State Street, let her lousy insurance policy lapse last month because business was so slow. I didn’t take the warnings seriously at first. It didn’t even cross my mind to do that, but luckily I pulled my kids down and we lifted everything up a couple of feet.
She said business has been slow for months and this could be the last days for her store. She couldn’t wade through the floodwaters to see her business, but asked a reporter to take some and bring it back to her. “I’m still in tears looking at them. This was my lifelong dream store, I finally decided to get it and opened it during covid. Those photos make me realize that this is probably the end of Minnie. I worked hard to bring it to life. “
By 1:30 p.m., a steady stream of water was rushing past the state capitol building. As the water began to recede Tuesday, officials began assessing the damage and possible cleanup efforts.
While river levels on the river appear to be stable, officials say it’s still a concern for the city.
Roads were flooded in the northeast
Around the region, including parts of New York, New Hampshire and Maine, nearly 4 million people are under flood warnings, watches or alerts.
Six swift-water rescue teams were alerted in New York state, where some areas saw more than 8 inches of rain and road closures swept through Orange, Westchester, Ulster, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockland counties. New York Governor Cathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for Orange and Ontario counties.
The death was reported alone in New York’s Hudson Valley, where 43-year-old Pamela Nugent died trying to escape her flooded home with her dog in the village of Fort Montgomery, about 50 miles north of New York City.
But on Tuesday, Vermont was hit hard by the floodwaters. Several miles of Interstate 89 were closed for hours in both directions between Montpelier and the Middlesex capital.
In Montpelier, people were asked to call dispatchers because first responders were “stretched thin” and at “high capacity.”
Real time river water level monitoring
Save a lot of fast water, the dam water is calm
Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts to alleviate hardship and suffering. Governor Scott said the declaration, which covers all 14 counties, will allow state and federal officials more flexibility to deploy much-needed equipment and resources.
Crews from North Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut were among those helping rescuers in Vermont towns cut off by floodwaters.
As the water receded Tuesday, Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser said the city is moving into recovery mode, and public works crews are expected to begin cleanup efforts Wednesday morning. Once businesses can clear their property, building inspections will begin.
“The dam is not overflowing. The water in the dam is still there, but it has calmed down. We think the water going over the dam’s spillway is an imminent threat,” Fraser said. “It looks indestructible. That’s good. That’s one less thing to have on our front burner.”
‘Heartbreaking to watch’: Vermonters mourn the loss
By midday the water had begun to recede and the dam was held. The rest is the downside.
In the year “It’s a sad thing to see,” said Ellen Surdell, 59, who experienced Hurricane Irene in 2011 and said it was worse. She and her husband live on a hill outside of Montpellier, but they drive into the city to drive her friends away.
“This is worse. A lot more water here in central Vermont, a lot of people hurt. Nobody got hurt, which is good, but this is the peak tourist season and it’s going to take two weeks to clean up. I’m afraid some businesses won’t survive.”
Troy Caruso, who owns a golf course, five restaurants and a motel in Ludlow, Vermont, has been monitoring damage to his property and elsewhere in the town of about 800 people. He said a supermarket and shopping center were “cleaned out,” as was a steak house and possibly a burger joint.
Caruso said the golf course’s 10th hole was “flooded beyond belief.”
Vermont state representative Kelly Pajala said she was among the many people displaced from a four-bedroom apartment on the West River in Londonderry.
“The river was at our door,” she said. We threw some dry clothes and our cats into the car and headed for higher ground.
More rain forecast this week
While the region is expected to stay dry Wednesday, more rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
A few more inches of rain are possible across much of Vermont, eastern New York and neighboring New Hampshire, making flooding worse, the weather service said Tuesday.
How to cancel your Airbnb or Vrbo
Travelers who think twice about traveling in the wake of flooding have some options.
Those who have a reservation on the vacation rental platform Airbnb can cancel it through its website or mobile app. Travelers can find the cancellation policy and reservation options under “trips”.
Airbnb also has a Conditions Policy. It covers natural disasters, government-declared local or national emergencies, and other unexpected interruptions. “Guests affected by an event covered by this policy may cancel their reservation and receive a refund, travel credit and/or other consideration, depending on the circumstances,” the forum said on its website.
In cases where that policy applies, it supersedes the Reservation Cancellation Policy even if it does not cover other exclusions of “weather or natural conditions”. The policy also does not apply to deluxe bookings, which have a separate refund policy.
After reading the extenuating circumstances policy to see if a booking is covered, travelers can select “I have an extenuating circumstance” while canceling the stay or experience and contact Airbnb to file a claim. Guests must submit their claim within 14 days of cancellation.
Vrbo reservations can be canceled through “My Trips” after logging into their account. You can find the property’s cancellation policy under “Travel Details”. Refunds are subject to the property’s cancellation policy.
“If a natural disaster such as a hurricane, earthquake or tornado affects your reservation and you need immediate assistance in finding alternative accommodations, please contact us,” Vrbo said on its website. Those who have not yet left for their trip should contact their host.
Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY; April Barton, Burlington Free Press; Associated Press