‘Catastrophic’ Flooding in Southern Vermont as Rescues Are Underway

A state of emergency was in effect Monday morning in Vermont as a storm moved across the state.

The National Weather Service warned that “catastrophic flooding is beginning to unfold” in the state. Some areas expected more than seven inches of rain from the storm.

Vermont's Emergency Management team said it had rescued 19 people on boats and evacuated 25 others, as well as pets. Teams had not been able to confirm reports that one person was swept away by flood waters.

Park employees and campers in Plymouth, VT were also being rescued while officials briefed the media at 11am ET.

Waves of heavy rain fell across the state early on Monday - more than three inches in just a few hours, according to the National Weather Service.

"This is going to be something much worse than expected." Governor Phil Scott said in a briefing Monday morning.

There were multiple road washouts reported in southern Rutland and Windsor counties, while South Londonderry and Weston were cut off from emergency crews.

Adrianna Kremer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington says the flooding in some of the hardest-hit areas is comparable to what the remnants of Tropical Storm Irene brought in 2011.

“This is some of the worst flooding we’ve seen in a while,” Kremer says.  “We’re expecting the rain to continue.  It will be bouts of lighter and heavier rains before tapering off.”

WCAX-TV reported that there were partial closures on at least seven highways across the state.

Swiftwater rescue teams were staged throughout the state to help with evacuations and rescues from floodwaters.

In Ludlow and Londonderry, cars were submerged in floodwaters.

Ten people were rescued from a camp in Andover due to flash flooding. No further information on the rescue was immediately available.

The Colonial House Inn & Motel in Weston was offering to house people affected by the flooding. They had taken in two people early Monday and were prepared for more.

While the heaviest rainfall will ease by Monday evening, widespread river flooding is expected to continue through Tuesday.

A Flood Watch will remain in effect through Tuesday evening for the entire state.

The storm moved into Vermont after causing widespread flooding and damage in New York.

Monday’s rains come on the heels of another storm on Friday that caused mudslides and flash flooding across the state.

State officials said 14 search and rescue teams were working across affected areas, while other emergency teams from North Carolina and Massachusetts also arrived to help.

Governor Phil Scott said FEMA is also offering help at a federal level.

The Governor predicted this will be a multi-day event, with emergency operations expected to last for the next day or so.

Repairs from Irene were only completed this past year, the governor said and so it isn't clear how long the clean up from this storm will take.

"My concern is not just the initial damage," Gov. Scott said. "It's the second wave, the third wave and we are trying to anticipate that.

"It's going to be quite some time but we want to make sure we prioritize life and safety. The rest can be replaced, as we proved with Irene."

Gov. Scott said that infrastructure fixed after the 2011 storm should be better prepared to deal with this current weather, but that doesn't mean damage won't be severe.

As of Monday morning, mains water supplies were unaffected, but residents were being urged to take care with their electricity use and to cut off mains supplies when evacuating properties.