MONTPELIER, Vermont, July 11 (Reuters) – The city of Montpelier, Vermont, is experiencing “catastrophic” flooding due to heavy rainstorms, leading to road closures and trapping residents in their homes. The situation has worsened with the Wrightsville Dam, located north of Montpelier, reaching maximum capacity, threatening further flooding in the area.
Montpelier’s picturesque downtown district has been submerged in floodwaters, which have reached the windows of businesses and the tops of vehicles. People have resorted to using canoes to navigate the streets. The National Weather Service has deemed the flooding as “catastrophic.”
The Wrightsville Dam forms a reservoir that could potentially release water into the North Branch of the Winooski River if it surpasses its capacity. This would exacerbate the already severe flooding in downtown Montpelier. The North Branch intersects with a larger branch of the Winooski near the Vermont statehouse.
Governor Phil Scott has described the flooding as “historic and catastrophic.” City Manager William Fraser has urged residents to prepare for evacuation, as highway closures make it difficult to leave the area.
The widespread flooding in Montpelier is part of a larger trend of severe weather events across the United States. Climate scientists attribute this increase in frequency and intensity to human-driven climate change. While Vermont faces devastating flooding, other parts of the country are grappling with extreme heatwaves. Ocean temperatures in Florida have soared to 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Texas is experiencing a heat dome, and California braces for temperatures as high as 120 F (49 C) in desert areas.
The flooding in Vermont is said to be the worst since Hurricane Irene struck the state as a tropical storm in 2011. The estimated damages and economic losses from the current flooding are between $3 billion and $5 billion, according to private forecaster AccuWeather.
Unfortunately, the flooding has also affected local businesses and agriculture. Boyd Family Farm in Wilmington, Vermont, lost most of its crops, leaving only their blueberries intact. R.K. Miles Building Materials, a Montpelier-based business, had three of its eight locations heavily damaged by the flooding, with two of them completely cut off.
Despite the devastating impact, no casualties have been reported thus far. Search and rescue teams have been working to evacuate stranded individuals, and officials are urging residents to prioritize their safety.
The city’s topography, with surrounding hills and a valley downtown, has made Montpelier particularly vulnerable to flooding. The current situation is reminiscent of the 2011 hurricane, Irene, but residents believe it may be even worse this time.
As the community works to recover from this historic flooding event, they remain resilient and determined to overcome the challenges they face. With support from local and state authorities, Montpelier will rebuild and strive to mitigate the impact of future flooding events.
(Reporting by Brian Snider in Montpelier, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago, and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Rachel Nostrant and Daniel Trotta; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Devika Syamnath, Bill Berkrot, and Sandra Maler)