Vermont Confirms First Death Related to Recent Storms and Flooding

A Vermont man drowned at his home in what officials say is the first known death linked to recent floods that have inundated the state.

Stephen Davoll, 63, drowned Wednesday in Barre, according to Vermont Emergency Management. Davoll’s death was investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and local police, the emergency management agency said.

“The loss of a Vermonter is always painful, but it is particularly so this week," said U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat representing the Green Mountain State in Congress.

Powerful storms have soaked Vermont and much of the Northeast throughout the week, turning roads into rivers, isolating the state capital of Montpelier and leaving scores in need of rescue. 

Rain and strong winds walloped the region again on Thursday, and were forecast to return in the days ahead.

“The period we are more concerned about is Sunday because that could be more widespread and heavier, but not nearly on the scale of what we saw earlier in the week,” National Weather Service meteorologist Seth Kutikoff said.

Davoll’s death was the first tied to the storm system in the state, but at least the second in the region. Pamela Nugent, 43, was swept away by floodwaters in New York’s Hudson Valley on Sunday and found with her dog by her side, according to a family friend.

With Associated Press