Severe Floods Hit Vermont
- Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:00am by
Christopher Santarelli
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As Hurricane Irene passed through America’s largest city Sunday causing perhaps less damage than many had expected, flooding has been widespread and devastating in Vermont. Emergency management officials began getting calls about “massive flooding” before 9 a.m. Sunday. Hundreds of people were told to leave the capital, Montpelier, which could get flooded twice: once by Irene and once by a utility trying to save an overwhelmed dam. The Burlington Free Press, Vermont’s most widely circulated newspaper, writes:
“Montpelier is bracing for ‘a major emergency’ of overnight flooding.
Throughout the state, a disaster is unfolding.”
Gov. Peter Shumlin told residents “We can replace roads, we can replace bridges and buildings, we cannot replace people.” WCAX News:
Mike O’Neil, the state emergency management director, said “This is the worst I’ve ever seen in Vermont.”
The State Police Captain Ray Keefe told CNN that the storm has essentially shut down southern Vermont, while the rest of the state continues to face severe flooding.
“Despite being bordered on all sides by land, Vermonters north and south struggled with the impact of Hurricane Irene. Fast-moving floods swarmed towns from Brattleboro to Woodstock and beyond. The state was under a flash flood watch.
Montpelier, in the north, reported worsening conditions Sunday evening. Portions of the city were evacuated and people were told to stay off the roads.
Jill Remick, from the state’s emergency management division, said waters in the area — where multiple rivers converge — could rise as high as 20 feet, above the 17.5 feet that led to substantial flooding in May in the state capital.”
Vermont Public Radio reports on how the severe flooding has effected travel in the state, and in doing so, emergency response efforts:
“Floodwaters stretch from the Deerfield Valley into the Champlain Valley and now central Vermont.
People have been stranded and emergency crews have had difficulty reaching them because so many roads are washed out or flooded.
That even includes Interstate 91 between Rockingham and Westminster.
Many other major Vermont roads are closed. Route Nine is inaccessible from Brattleboro to Bennington. Routes 4 and 7 are closed in areas.”
One Vermont blogger wrote that Sunday’s flood will go down as the worst in the state since at least 1973, perhaps 1927.Water rescue teams responded to calls throughout the day Sunday, and the National Guard brought in high water trucks that were dispatched upstate.
The Burlington Free Press reports that there are 43,000 Vermont homes and businsses without power Sunday afternoon.
Police say a 25-year-old Vermont man died after driving his car off a state highway at a high rate of speed and landing in the Winooski River in East Montpelier. A 20-year-old woman was swept away in the Deerfield River in southern Vermont and is presumed dead, but a spokesman for the state’s Emergency Management Agency, Mark Bosma, told the Vancouver Sun that her death was still not confirmed.
VPR reports that the rain is expected to move out of Vermont to the Northeast by late Sunday, but officials say there will still be dangers from rainwater runoff.
“This is not over,” President Barack Obama said from the Rose Garden this evening speaking of Hurricane Irene’s aftermath.
At least 21 people have died so far in the storm.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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washburn24
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 6:55amI live up here in what they call the “Northeast Kingdom”…Essex County to be exact.Been here all my 40 years.Let me tell you all a little something about the “two states” that are Vermont.I have not,nor will I ever, vote for any of these bleedin’ heart, liberal Democrat bastards,and/or those with their Socialist ideas.I detest them more than all of you folks spouting off about them,and ignorantly consolidating us “Real Vermonters” in w/ them..What you folks do not know is there is an invisible line that runs down the middle of our state.Everything to the West of it is what everyone hears about on the national news.Montpelier is West of this line…in case anyone is geographically challenged.Us “Real Vermonters” do not ask for any of this help that our government reps are pourin‘ out the fake tears on TV askin’ about for us. WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES!! I promised myself I wouldn’t get into a “******’ contest” and I’m not going to….but many people that you here about in VT on the national news,are not really from here in the first place.We call them “galvanized Vermonters” and they migrated in here from some other part of the country and dragged their own damned Liberal or Socialist ideas in w/ them.We wish they would go back where they came from.Flood or no flood…we will recover from whatever gets thrown at us…and as we say up here in these hills…when it all “sugars off”…..us Vermonters will be standing on our own two feet.
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:37pmPerhaps a reminder from God that he doesn’t care much for perverts, pedophiles and Leahy ? But, I could be wrong…..
Report Post »inferno
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:28pmAll Vernonters should line up outside Ben and Jerrys for free ice cream.
Report Post »krisinvt
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 4:58pmConstructive. Please don’t paint all of us up here with a broad-stroke brush and make light of the situation. The suffering I see all around me is very real– just like in every other state that suffered a major impact from this storm -or any other.
Trust me- there is a lot more to VT than Ben & Jerry’s and an awful lot of wonderful people with a ton of work ahead of them. Check out the #vtresponse Twitter feed and watch a little self-reliant state come together.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 1:44pmThe comments here are all too predictable: Dean, Sanders, libs, Dems, Ben & Jerry, hippie-infested state and so on. There are plenty of conservatives and more than a few libertarians in Vermont. There are plenty of liberals in Missouri and Alabama, too, and the disasters in those states got plenty of coverage when they hit.
As an old Vermonter would say, Jeezum crow, stop yer whinin.
Report Post »washburn24
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 7:03amWell spoken Mr. Drako…well spoken.
Report Post »cntrlfrk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 9:20am‘
I do not wish harm to any person, but if Vermont is indeed the “Last Socialist State” as Howard Dean says, then wash the damn thing into the sea.
.
Report Post »clockwatcher
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 8:55amNice views, but the people for the most part are outsiders who moved in and made the state very left wing. Will the black jimmy carter help a white state? No, no social justice for white people, know what I am saying.
Report Post »JamesTeaPartyMac
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 8:43amPeople of Vermont you better pray that people of color there because if you are white people then you better build a boat!
Report Post »gpk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 8:24amFear not good people of Vermont. Ray Nagin to send busloads of professional looters to help bring a little diversification in your time of need.
Report Post »luapy
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 8:01amHas anyone in the media reported on the historical water releases from the missiouri river dams and the resulting flooding that has been ongoing for months?
Report Post »bill oswald
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:57amI’m sorry but I have little simpathy for the ultra liberal state as Vermont. My family used to vacation there but the state got so liberal that we stopped.
Report Post »Old Vermonter
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:47amWe got some flooding. But please remember, the PEOPLE of Vermont are no different than anybody else. We won’t wait areound for FEMA to come messing things up, we’ll take care of ourselves.
The saddest thing for us is that we lost some of our covered bridges. One was over 150 years old.
Report Post »krisinvt
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 5:02pmYep- we’ll get it done. Lots of work ahead of us, but people are pulling together up here– as always.
Report Post »shirtsbyeric
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:45amBarak Obama doesn’t care about white people.
Report Post »Ampleforth
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:40amI feel for the people in the east, but when it rains and floods like this in Kentucky it doesn’t even get a mention on the news. I watched a report about people evacuating their houses because the basements were flooding. I can‘t decide if we’ve become a nation of wimps or if it’s just an east coast thing.
I know some people over there, and there are areas that really took a pounding by Irene. The Weather Channel had their reporters on the beaches, but it was about 75 miles inland where the real drama was.
Finally, when people drown because they were surfing during or leading up to a hurricane, they should not be included in the death toll of the storm. They’re idiots. They‘re sacrifice should be lauded because they’ve removed themselves from the gene pool. Hopefully, they haven’t reproduced.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:39amIt’s Vermont, who cares, with any luck a few Democrat hippies will float out to sea. Miserable people there helped cause America’s downfall.
Report Post »Johann
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:22amNot clear why Howard Dean is not on television blaming Bush, the Republicans, conservatives and white people in general. That is what he usually does. His world outlook has been so narrowed by his Liberal Vermonet upbringing that it is only a matter of time before he mouths off. Meanwhile Vermont has a large percentage of college professors and they surely have the answers to every disaster known to mankind.
Report Post »swkimbl
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 6:52amAre they kidding ? severe floods! where were the reporters and massive news coverage for the tornado’s and massive flood damage in fly over country, it was barely a blink on the radar compared to the coverage that the almost landfall tropical storm is getting. probably because it happened in a heavily populated democrat area and it means votes, and heavily laden with ethnic people, and the central America is manly white.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:37amThat’s because this hit fellow progressives. Fly over country hit by tornadoes, or Texas being burned up is just the conservatives.
Report Post »Cat
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 5:52amNever let a waste go to crises.
Report Post »A MERICAN
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 8:05amnow thats funny
Report Post »On The Bayou
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 5:52amThe northest and the people that live there are very lucky this morning. Irene was a very gentle storm. If Irene had taken the same path with the power of a Katrina or an Ike @ 150 mph wind and up, they would be singing the blues up there for many weeks to come. If New York City was out of power for ten to fourteen days as it could have been in a catagory five, it would have turned into a war zone. They call em hundred year storms. Galveston got Ike, Mississippi Gulf Coast got Katrina and Camile. Smile Mayor Bloomberg, it`s a good morning in New York City.
Report Post »skiziks20453
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:59amMLCBLOG, thats the new logic. let fire and desease destroy the forest, god forbid cutting it and replanting.
Report Post »NuffSaid
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:34amWith any luck they won’t find a “Delta Smelt” swimming in a Walmart parking lot in Montpelier. The EPA would force the resident to maintain the water level.
Impeach Oboingo. (When you get a chance)
Report Post »SageInWaiting
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 1:22amLived for 6 years in the Berkshires of W MA; rain on the mountains of NE can cause MAJOR flash flooding. Though it was a beautiful area, I had to get out; they think funny up there.
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:09pmDarn; wish I had a time machine. :)
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:43pmSorry Sage; meant to post on another thread and it showed up under yours. lol
:)
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:48amI have no tear in my eye for Vermont; sorry if I sound crass. Do care for those in North Carolina, New York and New Jersey (maybe even Mass), but not Vermont. :)
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 1:48pmVermont came close to joining Canada in the 1780s. Vermonters reading comments like yours and most of the rest here may think it was a mistake to join the US instead!
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:43pmDarn; wish I had a time machine. :)
Report Post »junior1971
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:27ammayor nobody in new york forcefully evacuated 200 thousand?? Who would have thought that they would have to live without the precious gov looking out for them. Perhaps they should place their faith in GOD instead, let alone, each other!
Report Post »junior1971
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:23amThis really sucks!
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:12amlike the flooding of the Mississippi river this summer , this also was caused by new idiotic environmentalist policies which dont allow the purging of excess water before heavy rains
the same thing is happening all up and down the miss. basin, where policy has changed from flood control to a policy that is designed to return land to wetland or original land use ……….all without informing the inhabitants of the risk these new policies WILL cause
all the dams were at capacity in vermont, just like all the dams were at capacity along the miss. because this new policy wont let them purge the excess
Report Post »mlcblog
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:04amThat is so interesting. Thank you.
I am just hearing today that the new policy on forest fires at least in Calif is to let them burn themselves out. Basically the risk of dropping fire retardants is to be weighed against the amount of smoke the fire is causing and choose the least cause of respiratory distress, this with daily verbal check-ins with the other part of the bureaucracy. I think we are going to see some big ones.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:40amSounds like you’re talking about Agenda 21. Have you read it? You can google it and get the whole book. I have it printed, but it’s a really slow read.
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