Dangerous “catastrophic” flooding throughout the Northeast has killed at the very least one girl who was swept away within the raging waters, as roads have been washed out in Vermont and residents have been rescued throughout the area from a “1,000-year event.”
Torrential, life-threatening rain pounded New York, Vermont and components of western Massachusetts — resulting in flooded roads and houses. Several inches of heavy rain have been measured.
In New York, a 35-year-old girl who got here outdoors when she noticed her residence was taking over an excessive amount of water was swept away and died, officers mentioned.
“We are in the midst of an extraordinary, extraordinary weather event that has just devastated communities throughout the Hudson Valley,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul mentioned throughout a press convention.
“The skies opened up and brought so much rain, 9 inches of rain in this community, that they’re calling this a 1,000-year event,” she later added.
In Vermont, the governor declared a state of emergency and referred to as up the National Guard in response to the historic rainfall as roads changed into rivers.
The National Weather Service out of Burlington, Vt. was reporting “widespread significant to potentially catastrophic flash flooding.”
The Green Mountain State has not seen rainfall like this because the devastating Hurricane Irene, and in some locations, it can surpass even that.
“Almost three dozen state roads are closed due to high water, and additional closures are possible as rivers and streams continue to rise. This figure does not include town roads,” Vermont State Police tweeted.
“Waterways have not yet crested,” State Police added. “Be ready to evacuate if floodwater approaches. Keep monitoring local news media, @NWS, @vemvt, and the free VT ALERT service for up-to-the-minute information about closures, shelters, and life-safety measures.”
In western Massachusetts, there have been a number of experiences of roads closing because of vital flooding. In Williamsburg, there was a report of flooding as much as the home windows of houses, resulting in resident rescues. A beaver dam additionally broke, inflicting 4 houses to be flooded.
“MEMA has been made aware of five towns that have declared a local state of emergency (Williamsburg, Clarksburg, Deerfield, Becket and North Adams),” mentioned a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. “MEMA facilitated a request from Williamsburg to dispatch the Department of Fire Services’ Incident Support Unit (command put up) to reply to the city.
“MEMA reminds residents to avoid flooded areas and never attempt to drive through flooded roadways,” the spokesperson added. “Residents should monitor conditions closely and continue to check the media for emergency information, as rivers, creeks, and streams will continue to gradually rise through tomorrow.”
Flooding continues to be anticipated to proceed to be a menace in western Massachusetts after this latest deluge of rain.
“You’ll want to avoid walking around river banks,” mentioned Bill Leatham of the National Weather Service. “The waters will likely be transferring at a reasonably good clip.
“You don’t want to drive through a flooded roadway. Turn around, don’t drown,” he added. “And if there are road closures, make sure you heed those closures that local officials are putting out.”
AccuWeather has already estimated that the flooding throughout the Northeast has led to $3 billion to $5 billion in complete damages and financial loss.
Roads and bridges have been washed away, and a few will take weeks or months to restore, impacting tourism in these areas over the busy summer time months, based on AccuWeather. The flooding and thunderstorms additionally introduced down timber and energy traces, leaving tens of hundreds with out energy.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”