This image made from drone footage provided by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets shows flooding in Montpelier, Vt., Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
Storms dumped up to two months’ worth of rain in a couple of days in parts of the region earlier this week, surpassing the amount that fell when Tropical Storm Irene blew through in 2011 and caused major flooding. Officials called this week's flooding the state's worst natural disaster since floods in 1927, and some suggested storms like thisMore rain is expected in the coming days, and Vermont authorities said Saturday that brings the possibility of landslides.
It was the second flood-related death stemming from a storm system and epic flooding in the Northeast this week. The first was in upstate New York, where a woman was swept away by floodwaters in Fort Montgomery, a small Hudson River community about 45 miles north of New York City. "In our mountainous state, much of our most fertile farmland lies in river valleys, and countless fields of corn, hay, vegetables, fruit, and pasture were swamped and buried,” Scott said.
Most emergency shelters have emptied, with fewer than 70 people remaining. The focus has shifted to providing food and water and repairing infrastructure, including dozens of closed roads. State officials estimated 23 water treatment plants were either flooded or discharged untreated sewage into waterways.
“You walk up and down the street, and any place that wasn't hit has a sign out front — free food. Please come and get,” McNamara said. “That tells me we have one heck of a community.”