New England stories from the region's top public media newsrooms & NPR
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Vermont appears to have escaped more major flooding damage following Wednesday's heavy rains

A photo of a road way with double yellow lines, black asphalt and a giant hole in an area that was washed out by a river next to the road. Trees and green grass line either side of the road.
Peter Hirschfeld
/
Vermont Public
Red Village Road in Lyndonville, pictured here on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, has numerous washouts following flooding on Tuesday, July 30. Scores of residents are stranded without water, power or ready access to food and other necessities.

Updated Thursday 9:30 a.m..

While parts of Vermont received more heavy rains Wednesday evening, there does not appear to be additional major flood damage.

A spokesperson from Vermont Emergency Management confirmed around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday there were no new reports.

National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Myskowski said the most recent storms were relatively fast moving, unlike the rains that lingered over the Northeast Kingdom for hours early Tuesday morning.

"They had strong really heavy rainfall rates, but they were — they'd be over an area for only a pretty small amount of time, so you weren't thankfully able to get any really high totals in one specific area," he said. "That was kind of different between earlier in the week."

Myskowski said the highest rain totals from Wednesday, between about 1.5 and 2.5 inches, were reported in Caledonia County and northeastern Addison County.

"None of these areas have thankfully produced any flooding other than like, mild ponding in roadways," he said.

Late Wednesday night, NWS removed its flash flood warning for an area including the towns of Burke, Cabot, Danville, Lyndonville, St. Johnsbury, Walden and Wheelock. It also took down its flood watch for northern and central Vermont and eastern portions of northern New York.

Myskowski said the next few days should be pretty dry, with some rain forecast for the weekend.

"Nothing looks overly heavy or concerning at this point," he said.

More from Vermont Public: 'We can't give up,' Gov. Scott tells flood-weary Vermont

Towns including St. Johnsbury, Burke, Lyndonville and Morgan continue to respond to Tuesday's flooding damage.

Scores of residents on Red Village Road in Lyndonville were still stranded without water, power or ready access to food and other necessities. Flash flooding washed out more than a half-dozen sections of road Tuesday morning, cutting off access to a miles-long section of the town road.

Adam Sangiolo is among the residents of Red Village Road, and said he’s increasingly worried about many of his neighbors.

“We are on an island. We are completely isolated," he said. "Yeah, there are a lot of people out here. I don’t think a lot of people are realizing just how dire this situation is right now.”

Mt. Hunger Road in Lyndon also saw heavy damage Tuesday, leaving some residents isolated.

More from Vermont Public: Lyndon neighborhood reckons with heavy damage as more rain moves through Vermont

On Thursday morning, volunteers prepared to hike into Kirby, where some residents had been stranded since Tuesday.

Volunteers have been delivering food, water and other supplies to residents who can’t leave their homes by car. Residents say they haven’t been able to get any clear timeline from town officials on when power and vehicle access will be restored, and town officials have not been available for comment.

In St. Johnsbury, the American Red Cross opened a temporary emergency shelter at the Good Shepherd School, located at 121 Maple Street. That's according to town officials, who wrote in a social media post that residents can pick up water, food, cleanup kits and blankets there.

Flood recovery resources

      Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message.

      Corrected: July 31, 2024 at 6:59 PM EDT
      A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to a flood watch in effect until midnight as a "flood warning." We apologize for the error.
      Elodie is a reporter and producer for Vermont Public. She previously worked as a multimedia journalist at the Concord Monitor, the St. Albans Messenger and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, and she's freelanced for The Atlantic, the Christian Science Monitor, the Berkshire Eagle and the Bennington Banner. In 2019, she earned her MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Southern New Hampshire University.
      The Vermont Statehouse is often called the people’s house. I am your eyes and ears there. I keep a close eye on how legislation could affect your life; I also regularly speak to the people who write that legislation.