‘Catastrophic’ Flooding in Vermont Prompts Emergency Declaration
Overnight, from July 10 through July 11, heavy rains pummeled New England, causing massive flooding and sending search-and-rescue teams sprinting to reach stranded residents and communities.
A Vermont reservoir threatened to overflow a dam protecting the state’s capital and exacerbate “catastrophic” flooding that has already closed roads leading out of the city and confined residents inside their homes.
The Wrightsville Dam, which forms a reservoir four miles (6.4 kilometers) north of Montpelier, was nearing capacity and nearing the point where a spillway would discharge water into the North Branch of the Winooski River, according to city officials.
That would exacerbate what the National Weather Service has termed “catastrophic” flooding in the picturesque downtown district of Montpelier, where people navigated the submerged streets in canoes and floodwaters reached the windows of businesses and the roofs of vehicles….