Vermont flooding: ‘This is nowhere near over,’ governor says

Catastrophic floods across Vermont have destroyed homes and businesses, stranded motorists and prompted more than 115 rescues, officials said on Tuesday.

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Some areas saw upward of 9 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday as a slow-moving storm crawled over parts of the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Officials said that as of Tuesday morning, crews had performed 117 rescues and more than 67 evacuations. Seventeen animals have been rescued.

“We are still in a very dangerous part of this disaster,” Mike Cannon, program coordinator for Vermont Urban Search and Rescue, said Tuesday at a news conference. “We are performing active rescues as we speak today here. We still have reports of people trapped in flooded homes and vehicles in some … areas.”

Video shared by officials on social media shows widespread flooding in Montpelier. Officials said the area was among the hardest hit, alongside Ludlow and Londonderry.

Gov. Phil Scott said he spoke with President Joe Biden on Tuesday and that the president offered the federal government’s support. Earlier in the day, Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state for flooding that began on Sunday.

“Make no mistake the devastation and flooding we’re experiencing across Vermont is historic and catastrophic,” Scott said Tuesday. “Floodwaters continue to rise in some places, like our capital city, and have surpassed levels seen during Tropical Storm Irene.”

The governor said rain stopped Tuesday in some areas, but he warned that floodwaters may still rise.

“Even though the sun may shine later today and tomorrow, we expect more rain later this week which will have nowhere to go in the oversaturated ground,” he said.

“So, I want to be clear: We are not out of the woods. This is nowhere near over and at this phase, our primary focus continues to be on life and safety before we can shift to a recovery phase.”

No deaths or injuries were reported as of Tuesday morning, though Scott said thousands of state residents have lost their homes and businesses.

“The devastation is far-reaching,” he said.

More than a dozen swift-water rescue teams based in the state and several from Connecticut, Massachusetts and North Carolina were working to help residents on Tuesday. Jennifer Morrison, the commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Public Safety, noted that many areas were “too dangerous for rescue by boat.”

Helicopters operated by officials with the Vermont and New Hampshire national guards were helping to evacuate people in the areas with the most devastation, where swift-water teams can’t reach.

“There are areas that are still being evacuated and there are life-threatening isolations that we are trying to identify and rescue,” Morrison said.

Officials urged people to heed road closures and stay away from rivers and flooded areas. Dozens of roads across the street have been closed.

“This is going to be a very long-term search and rescue operation,” Cannon said. “I expect it to take at least several days, if not longer.”

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Catastrophic flooding swamps Vermont U.S. Geological Survey hydrographer Samuel Jacob measures the flooded Winooski River's discharge on July 11, 2023 in Montpelier, Vermont. He said it was 15,000-16,000 cubic feet per second. (Kylie Cooper/Getty Images)