2023-07-12 11:48:52
/picture alliance, ASSOCIATED PRESS, Steven Senne
New York – After severe flooding as a result of heavy rainfall, US President Joe Biden yesterday declared a disaster for the US state of Vermont. The move came after officials warned that a dam near Montpelier, the state capital, was about to overflow.
Declaring a disaster releases federal funds for relief efforts. Other states in the north-east of the USA also had to contend with the consequences of heavy rainfall.
“This has never happened since the dam was built, so it’s not clear what damage can occur,” Montpelier City Manager William Fraser said the day before last night, referring to the Wrightsville dam.
This could cause water from the dam to overflow into the North Branch River. The center of Vermont’s capital of 8,000 people was already under water after the rains. There were initially no reports of deaths or injuries.
20 centimeters of rain had fallen in places. More than a hundred people had to be rescued from their cars or homes, the authorities said. US media showed pictures of inflatable boats and kayaks in flooded streets. The situation is still dangerous, said emergency services representative Mike Cannon.
“The destruction and flooding we are witnessing is historic and catastrophic,” said Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. The flooding exceeded “the magnitude of Tropical Storm Irene,” which killed six people in the state in 2011. Scott warned that more rain is expected this week on already soaked soil.
Heavy rain fell on Sunday and the day before yesterday in the northeastern United States, including the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont. Bridges were washed away and roads became impassable, footage released by authorities showed.
New York governor Kathy Hochul spoke of “life-threatening” flooding in her state last Sunday and declared a state of emergency for several districts. According to media reports, a woman died as a result of the flooding.
In the Canadian province of Quebec, which borders Vermont, more than 600 people had to be brought to safety from flooding as a result of heavy rains, the authorities said yesterday.
According to climate researchers, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall are increasing in intensity and frequency worldwide as a result of global warming. In the southern United States, more than 50 million people are currently affected by a so-called heat dome. In this weather phenomenon, also known as a heat dome, the heat is trapped under a huge dome and cannot escape. © afp/aerzteblatt.de
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