Heavy rain in northern Vermont leads to washed-out roads and rescues

LISA RATHKE, DAVID SHARP and KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press

21 minutes ago

In this screenshot, a National Weather Service warning of a flash flood emergency is seen on a phone near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Heavy rains washed out several roads and prompted about two dozen rescues in northern Vermont, nearly three weeks after many of the state’s farmers and residents were hit by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — Heavy rains early Tuesday washed out roads and prompted about two dozen rescues in northern Vermont, nearly three weeks after many farmers and residents in the state were hit by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl.

Some areas received 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) of rain starting Monday night and saw flash flooding, the National Weather Service in Burlington said. Flash flood warnings were in effect until Tuesday afternoon.

A crew was en route to assess the damage, which included “quite a bit” of structural and road damage, meteorologist Seth Kutikoff said.

“We know, unfortunately, that some of these areas were also hit by severe flooding three weeks ago,” he said. “The integrity of some structures was already weakened.”

In Lyndonville, a town about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Montpelier, the state capital, Deryck Colburn said he woke up before dawn to a neighbor banging on his door. They live along a creek.

“I walked down the road to her house, and there was no road. There was just a river,” he said.

Colburn said he heard the same flood of water as earlier in July, along with the terrifying sound of falling rocks being carried by the water.

Most of the rain fell in that area and in St. Johnsbury, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the south. Police issued a “shelter in place” advisory Tuesday morning for St. Johnsbury, a city of about 6,000. At least 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain fell farther north in the Morgan area, which is near the Canadian border.

“We sent swiftwater rescue teams to the area last night, and those teams conducted approximately two dozen rescues,” Mark Bosma, a spokesman for the Vermont Emergency Management Agency, said in an email.

Bosma said Lyndon, about a mile from Lyndonville, and St. Johnsbury sustained damage, but the agency was waiting for more information from those communities and others. Local news stations showed images of broken culverts and separated roads in St. Johnsbury.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Colburn said some homes in Lyndonville that were damaged earlier in July were “washed away” during this storm. He said people had been rescued. The emergency management agency had no further information.

“The last storm was a wake-up call,” he said. “I thought I would never experience anything like this again. I don’t think this comes close to this. Not even close,” he said.

“There are many broken hearts.”

According to the emergency aid organization, there is a greater chance of rain on Tuesday.

“Be prepared for further heavy rainfall and possible flooding today. Areas affected by last night’s storm are on the highest risk path,” it was posted online.

A portion of Interstate 91 and parts of two major roads near St. Johnsbury were closed due to flooding, among other conditions, the state transportation agency reported.

“Please respect all detours and road closures and never walk or drive through flood water,” Gov. Phil Scott posted online.

The state had previously experienced major flooding in July following the end of Hurricane Beryl, which destroyed roads and bridges and inundated farms. It came just one year after a previous period of severe flooding hit Vermont and several other states.

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Sharp reported from Portland, Maine. McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Reporter Julie Walker in New York also contributed to this story.