Senator Peter Welch urged Congress for federal aid in the wake of Vermont floods following a series of destructive storms. Governor Phil Scott highlighted extensive damage, emphasizing the need for unity in rebuilding efforts. The Northeast Kingdom saw 50 homes destroyed and numerous roads closed, marking the fourth flooding event in a year amidst concerns of climate change impacts on the state's geography.
Vermont residents awakened Aug. 1 to a quieter weather forecast with no flood warnings following another round of destructive storms earlier in week.
Even before floodwaters receded, though, the state's Democratic U.S. Sen. Peter Welch asked Congress to pass a disaster aid package that would help communities across Vermont cope with the disaster as well as other areas of the country battling wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.
Downpours inundated parts of Vermont and New Hampshire on the night of July 31. St. Johnsbury, Vt., which got more than 8 in. of rain the day before, saw less than an inch the following day, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott stated at a news conference earlier in the day that the latest storms to hit his state have undone much of the cleanup and recovery work from its last major round of flooding only weeks ago, and he called on residents to "stick together."
"This time, it's especially bad after workers spent the past three weeks working furiously to recover from the last flooding," Scott noted. "It feels much worse than a punch or a kick. It's simply demoralizing. But we can't give up. We've got to stick together and fight back against the feeling of defeat."
CBS News reported the week's rampage of destructive weather began on Monday night, July 29 when parts of northern Vermont were hit with devastating flash floods, causing extensive damage to roads, bridges and railroads in the area.
"The Northeast Kingdom got hit very hard during last night's storm," the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) posted to Facebook. "The heavy rain and flooding struck without warning, and the damage is severe."
The Northeast Kingdom covers more than 2,000 sq. mi. and is bordered by northern New Hampshire and Canada.
State officials said preliminary information indicated that 50 homes were destroyed or suffered considerable damage, the Associated Press said in an Aug. 1 report. More than half a dozen roads were closed, a lightning strike knocked out St. Johnsbury's water system, and flooding had contaminated several wells that serve the village of Lyndonville.
In Washington, Welch pushed Congress to pass a supplemental disaster aid package.
"We can't recover without that federal help," he said on the Senate floor the evening of July 31. "I just can't stress this enough. We need Congress to step up. And we need the help of all of us here because well, it's Vermont this time, it may be New Hampshire next time. It may be Texas next month. And I believe all of us have to help one another when an event occurs causing such harm to people we represent. And it's through no fault of their own."
VTrans said roads and bridges that were wrecked by the remnants of Hurricane Beryl earlier in July had just reopened, "and now those same communities are once again dealing with devastating damage."
The tropical storm's floodwaters destroyed roads and bridges and inundated farms and came exactly a year after a 2023 bout of severe flooding hit Vermont and several other states.
‘There Are Huge Craters'
In Lyndonville, about 40 mi. north of the state capital city of Montpelier, Deryck Clyburn said a neighbor who lives along a brook pounded on his door before dawn on July 30.
"I went down the road to her house, and there was no road," he told an AP reporter. "There was just a river."
A number of vehicles were trapped by crumbled roads, mud, fallen trees and other debris in Lyndonville.
Most of the rain fell in that area and in St. Johnsbury, about 10 mi. to the south. Police issued a "shelter in place" advisory early on July 30 for St. Johnsbury. At least 5 in. of rain fell farther north around the community of Morgan, near the Canadian border.
"We sent swift water rescue teams to the area overnight, and those teams conducted approximately two dozen rescues," Mark Bosma, a spokesperson of the Vermont Emergency Management agency, said to WBZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Boston.
Vanessa Allen, a St. Johnsbury resident, said she knew there was a possibility of rain, but was not counting on such an excessive amount.
Her home was situated between two road washouts, leaving her unable to leave. The roads were pockmarked and covered in debris. Nearby, Allen said, a house was off its foundation and blocking a street.
"It looks apocalyptic. There are huge craters, and the water is still rushing down the road now," she said at midday on July 30. "It's just all unbelievable how bad the roads are. We're trapped. We can't go anywhere."
As a result, several roads in northeast Vermont were listed as closed due to high water, washouts and flood damage.
The state has experienced four flooding events in the last year, and the combination of climate change and the Vermont's mountainous geography has played a big part in that, according to Peter Banacos, a science and operations officer with the Burlington, Vt., office of the NWS.
Greater rainfall and greater moisture availability have made the state and its steep terrain more susceptible to flooding, he said. Additionally, Vermont's soil also has been more frequently saturated, and that increases the possibility of flooding.
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