The move, which frees up money for relief efforts, came after officials warned that the water level at a dam near the state capital, Montpelier, was nearing its limit and was about to overflow..
“This has not happened since the dam was built, so there are no precedents in terms of potential damage,” said a statement issued Monday by Montpelier City Council President William Fraser, referring to the Wrightsville Dam and the North Branch River..
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries in the state from the rains, which officials said caused flooding in the center of Montpelier, a city of 8,000 people..
The heavy rainfall, which exceeded 20 centimeters in some places, according to the National Weather Service, came after sudden flooding in New York killed a woman on Sunday..
Most of the northeastern United States, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont, witnessed heavy rains Sunday and Monday, which led to floods that cut bridges and roads..
By noon Tuesday, more than 100 people trapped in cars and homes in Vermont had been rescued, officials said..
Authorities are trying to evacuate others by air by helicopter, the New York Times reported.
“We are still in a very critical phase of this disaster,” said Mike Cannon, an official with the Vermont Urban Search and Rescue Team, noting that rescue operations are continuing..
Governor Phil Scott likened the flooding to Tropical Storm Irene, which killed six people in the state in 2011..
In a statement to reporters, he said, “The destruction and floods we are witnessing in various parts of Vermont are catastrophic” and unprecedented..
Although the sun came out on Tuesday, Scott stressed, “It’s not over“.
“We expect more rain later this week,” he added, warning of more floods due to the waterlogging of the land..
Scientists say climate change exacerbates the risk of heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water..
#Evacuations #people #afflicted #catastrophic #floods #Vermont #USA