More than 13 million Americans are under flood watches and warnings from eastern New York state to Boston and western Maine to the northeast, the National Weather Service said in its forecast, after storms that began over the weekend inundated rivers and streams.
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Rescue teams raced into Vermont on Monday after heavy rain drenched parts of the Northeast, washing out roads, forcing evacuations and halting some airline travel. One person was killed in New York’s Hudson Valley as she tried to escape her flooded home.
The US Northeast has been hit by flash floods, with roadways washed out and rivers overwhelmed, killing one woman who was swept away in front of her fiancé. Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated damages and economic loss at $3-5bn. Over 1,000 flights to and from airports across the region were
Torrential downpours pounded the US Northeast on Monday, threatening catastrophic flooding across the region, where rains have washed out roadways, overwhelmed rivers, forced numerous rescues by boat and caused at least one fatality, officials said.Some 13 million Americans were under flood watches
More than 1,000 flights to and from airports across the region, including New York’s LaGuardia and Boston’s Logan, were delayed or canceled.
The flooding in Vermont has already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, officials said, with more to come: If water pours over the dam on the Winooski River that flows through Montpelier, it could surge through downtown blocks where the floods were already waist-high.
Here are the key points of the flooding in Vermont:
Helicopter and boat rescues
There have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the flooding in Vermont, where swift-water rescue teams aided by National Guard helicopter crews have done more than 100 rescues, Vermont Emergency Management said on Tuesday.
Dozens of roads and highways were closed, including many along the spine of the Green Mountains, and while skies cleared on Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Burlington said more rain was in the forecast for Thursday.
Flash flood warnings and advisories were in effect meanwhile for much of the state, from the Massachusetts line to Canada.
Downtown swamped
Downtown Montpelier, a city of 8,000, was swamped between the capitol building and the Winooski River. Montpelier Town Manager Bill Fraser warned that the Wrightsville Dam several miles to the north could exceed capacity for the first time.
“There would be a large amount of water coming into Montpelier which would drastically add to the existing flood damage,” he said, adding that there are very few evacuation options remaining. “People in at risk areas may wish to go to upper floors in their houses.”
Multiple rescue crews were positioned in Montpelier, where dispatch, police and fire operations were relocated to a water treatment plant after heavy flooding at City Hall and the police and fire departments. Also, the radio towers they use for emergency calls are not functional, Police Chief Eric Nordenson said.
Emergency declared in Vermont
The slow-moving storm reached New England after hitting parts of New York and Connecticut on Sunday. Some communities received between 7 and 9 inches (18 centimeters and 23 centimeters) of rain by Monday night.
The Connecticut River, swollen from the heavy rains in Vermont, was expected to crest above flood stage Wednesday in Hartford and towns to the south, causing minor to moderate flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
President Joe Biden, attending the annual NATO summit in Lithuania, declared an emergency for Vermont and authorised the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre urged people on Tuesday “to please, please be safe, and follow safety protocols.”
One of the worst-hit places was New York’s Hudson Valley, where a woman identified by police as Pamela Nugent, 43, died as she tried to escape her flooded home with her dog in the hamlet of Fort Montgomery.
(With inputs from agencies)