MONTPELIER, Vt. – The city manager of Montpelier, Vermont, issued an ominous warning early Tuesday morning alerting residents of a “potentially dangerous situation” as a local dam continues to fill closer to capacity, threatening to send large amounts of water into the downtown area of Vermont’s capital city after catastrophic flooding on Monday.
Torrential rain began on Sunday in New York’s lower Hudson Valley, forcing the National Weather Service to issue a Flash Flood Emergency for parts of Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties due to ongoing catastrophic flooding.
At least one person was killed, and numerous water rescues were conducted after rain caused the rivers and streams to overflow their banks, leading to roadways being washed away.
The rain shifted into New England on Monday, with more flooding occurring in Connecticut, western Massachusetts and Vermont, which saw the most severe flooding.
At one point on Monday, nearly the entire state of Vermont was under a Flash Flood Warning, and a Flash Flood Emergency was in effect for some areas throughout Monday morning.
The catastrophic flooding is expected to continue Tuesday in Vermont after up to 9 inches of rain fell in parts of the state, sending rivers to crests higher than Hurricane Irene levels in August 2011 and topped only by the Vermont flood of 1927 – the greatest natural disaster in the state’s history.
Montpelier City Manager William Fraser posted a haunting update to the city’s Facebook page warning residents that more water could rush into the downtown area as a dam quickly fills to capacity.
The Wrightsville Dam had only 6 feet of storage capacity remaining as of early Monday morning, and Fraser warned that if the water does exceed capacity, the first spillway will release water into the North Branch River.
“This has never happened since the dam was built, so there is no precedent for potential damage,” he warned in the Facebook post. “There would be a large amount of water coming into Montpelier which would drastically add to the existing flood damage.”
Fraser said the situation would be most dire along the North Branch River corridor and into the downtown area.
“Unfortunately, there are very few evacuation options remaining,” Fraser said. “People in at-risk areas may wish to go to upper floors in their houses. The city has asked for swift water rescue assets to be moved into the area to assist when possible.”
The city has also moved its dispatch center to the water treatment plant, where joint operations were made with Barre City. The city will also move its full Emergency Operations Center to the treatment plant.
“Computer and radio systems at the police station may become incapacitated if floodwaters increase,” Fraser said. “Again, this could be a dangerous situation.”
DRONE VIDEO SHOWS DISASTROUS FLOODING IN LUDLOW AFTER TORRENTIAL RAIN HITS VERMONT
The Winooski River at Montpelier crested at 20.89 feet Tuesday morning, surpassing the 19.05-foot crest set during Irene in 2011 to become the second-highest crest on record. This water is now flooding the streets of downtown Montpelier, the state’s capital city.
The Winooski River at Essex Junction, just east of Burlington, is forecast to crest at 19.8 feet later Tuesday morning, which would become the fifth-highest crest at that location. At these levels, widespread flooding occurs in the area.
Many areas of Vermont picked up more than a half-foot of rain on Monday, which is why there have been so many reports of flooding.
Plymouth, Vermont, received more than 9 inches of rain over the past 24 hours, with Mount Holly Heights receiving around 8.66 inches. Morrisville, Berlin and Weston all picked up more than 7 inches of rain.
Flood Watches remain in effect across northern New England, including the entire state of Vermont, most of New Hampshire and portions of western Maine. Flood Watches are also in effect for portions of northeastern New York state.