2023-07-11 22:43:40
US President Joe Biden declared, on Tuesday, a state of emergency in Vermont, in the northeastern United States, after heavy rains caused floods that required dozens of residents to be rescued by boat, according to Agence France-Presse.
The move, which frees up funds to be used in relief efforts, came after officials warned that the water level at a dam near the state capital, Montpelier, was close to 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 Municipal 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 flash 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 on Sunday and Monday, which led to floods that cut bridges and roads.
By Tuesday afternoon, more than 100 people trapped in cars and homes in Vermont had been rescued, officials said.
The authorities are trying to evacuate others by air by helicopter, according to the New York Times.
“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 flooding we are witnessing in various parts of Vermont is catastrophic” and unprecedented.
Although the sun came out on Tuesday, Scott stressed that “it’s not over.”
“We expect more rains later this week,” he said, warning of more floods due to waterlogging.
Scientists say climate change exacerbates the risk of heavy rainfall because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.
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