Current:Home > MyRain, flooding continue to slam Northeast: "The river was at our doorstep"-LoTradeCoin
Rain, flooding continue to slam Northeast: "The river was at our doorstep"
lotradecoin scam View Date:2024-12-25 12:35:15
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.
Mike Cannon of Vermont Urban Search and Rescue said crews from North Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut were among those helping to get to towns that have been unreachable since torrents of rain belted the state overnight. More crews were coming from Massachusetts and New Jersey, according to the Vermont Department of Public Safety, and California's Office of Emergency Services said it would be sending crews as well.
The towns of Londonderry and Weston were inaccessible, Cannon said, and rescuers were heading there to do welfare checks. Water levels at several dams were being closely monitored.
More than 50 people had to be rescued as of Monday night, the Vermont Department of Public Safety said.
There have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the flooding in Vermont, according to state emergency officials. Roads were closed across the state, including many along the spine of the Green Mountains.
Some people canoed their way to the Cavendish Baptist Church in Vermont, which had turned into a shelter. About 30 people waited it out, some of them making cookies for firefighters who were working to evacuate and rescue others.
"People are doing OK. It's just stressful," shelter volunteer Amanda Gross said.
Vermont Rep. Kelly Pajala said she and about half a dozen others had to evacuate early Monday from a four-unit apartment building on the West River in Londonderry.
"The river was at our doorstep," said Pajala. "We threw some dry clothes and our cats into the car and drove to higher ground."
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warned Monday evening that it expected two dams in Vermont — the Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica and the Townshend Dam in the Townshend/Windham area — to release "large quantities of water over their spillways. This will result in severe flooding downstream of the dam."
"We anticipate floodwaters to increase rapidly overnight, and we recommend taking precautions now. We encourage everyone to follow the guidance from their local emergency management officials," the Corps' New England District tweeted.
The slow-moving storm reached New England after hitting parts of New York and Connecticut on Sunday. Additional downpours in the region raised the potential for flash flooding; rainfall in certain parts of Vermont had exceeded 7 inches, the National Weather Service in Burlington said.
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 in the hamlet of Fort Montgomery.
The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed into the woman's house and damaged part of its wall, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus told The Associated Press. Two other people escaped.
"She was trying to get through (the flooding) with her dog," Neuhaus said, "and she was overwhelmed by tidal wave-type waves."
Officials say the storm has already wrought tens of millions of dollars in damage. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Monday that the storm sent "cars swirling in our streets" and dumped a "historic" amount of rain.
"Nine inches of rain in this community," Hochul said during a briefing on a muddy street in Highland Falls. "They're calling this a '1,000 year event.'"
As of Monday evening, several washed-out streets in Highland Falls remained impassable, leaving some residents stuck in their homes but otherwise OK, Police Chief Frank Basile said in a telephone interview. The village police station itself was full of mud and leaves after being flooded with about 5 inches of water, and a police car was swamped, Basile said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said there were reports of flooding in central and western Massachusetts and that state emergency management officials were in touch with local authorities.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point was pounded with more than 8 inches of rain that sent debris sliding onto some roads and washed others out. Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland said recently arrived new cadets and others at the historic academy on the Hudson River were safe, but that assessing the damage will take time.
Atmospheric scientists say destructive flooding events across the globe have this in common: Storms are forming in a warmer atmosphere, making extreme rainfall a reality right now. The additional warming that scientists predict is coming will only make it worse.
The storm also interrupted air and rail travel. There were hundreds of flight cancellations at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports and more than 200 canceled at Boston's Logan Airport in the last 24 hours, according to the FlightAware website. Amtrak temporarily suspended service between Albany and New York.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott tweeted that swift water rescue teams had conducted more than 10 rescues on Monday.
Among the buildings flooded Monday was the Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vermont, which had been performing "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" to sold-out audiences.
The Weston Theater Company's executive artistic director Susanna Gellert said the call was made at around 4 a.m. to evacuate 11 people associated with the production to higher ground and another 15 in nearby Ludlow. The three-floor playhouse, which had been damaged during Irene, was also flooded, with the dressing room and props room under water.
"As a theater, we were just starting to get back from the COVID shutdown," Gellert said. "To have this happen right now is painfully heartbreaking."
- In:
- Climate Change
- Vermont
- Flooding
- Northeast
- New York
veryGood! (36599)
Related
- Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
- Live updates | Tens of thousands of Palestinians stream into Rafah as Israel expands its offensive
- Brazil expresses concern over Venezuela-Guyana border dispute as naval exercises begin in area
- Suspect in 2 killings, high-speed chase was armed with stolen rifle from Vegas gun show, police say
- Stop & Shop is using grocery store kiosks to make digital
- With hateful anti-trans Ohio bill struck down by Gov. Mike DeWine, hope won. For once.
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend reading, viewing and listening
- Medical marijuana dispensary licenses blocked in Alabama amid dispute over selection process
- North Dakota regulators consider underground carbon dioxide storage permits for Midwest pipeline
- China to ease visa requirements for U.S. travelers in latest bid to boost tourism
Ranking
- Amazon's Thank My Driver feature returns: How to give a free $5 tip after delivery
- A tumultuous last 2023 swing through New Hampshire for Nikki Haley
- The Color Purple premieres with sold-out showings in Harlem
- Ravens to honor Ray Rice nearly 10 years after domestic violence incident ended career
- Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed ahead of key US inflation data
- Frank Thomas blasts 'irresponsible' Fox News after network mistakenly claimed he died
- China to ease visa requirements for U.S. travelers in latest bid to boost tourism
- Schrader runs for 128 yards and a TD as No. 9 Missouri beats No. 7 Ohio State 14-3 in Cotton Bowl
Recommendation
-
Our 12 favorites moments of 2024
-
Michigan insists reaction to facing Alabama in playoff was shock, but it wasn't convincing
-
Tech company Catapult says NCAA looking at claims of security breach of football videos
-
The Color Purple premieres with sold-out showings in Harlem
-
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
-
Afghan refugee in Oregon training flight crash that killed 3 ignored instructor’s advice, NTSB says
-
Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list
-
New Year's resolutions experts say to skip — or how to tweak them for success