Early Tuesday saw heavy rainfall washing out roads and leading to approximately two dozen rescues in northern Vermont , almost three weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Beryl caused flooding that affected many farmers and residents in the state.
The National Weather Service in Burlington reported that some areas received 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) of rain starting late Monday, resulting in flash floods. Flash flood warnings were in place until Tuesday afternoon.
Meteorologist Seth Kutikoff stated that a team was preparing to assess the damage, which included "quite a bit" of structural and road damage. "Unfortunately, we know that some of these same areas were hit with serious flash flooding three weeks ago as well," he said. "The integrity of some structures had already been compromised."
In Lyndonville, a town about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Montpelier, the state capital, Deryck Colburn woke up before dawn to a neighbor knocking on his door. They live near a brook.
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"I went down the road to her house, and there was no road. There was just a river," he said. Colburn mentioned hearing the same surge of rushing water he'd heard during the July floods, along with the unsettling sound of boulders being carried by the water.
Most of the rain battered the area and nearby St. Johnsbury, prompting a "shelter in place" advisory for the town of 6,000 on Tuesday morning. At least five inches of rain fell further north in Morgan, near the Canada border.
Mark Bosma, a spokesperson for the Vermont Emergency Management agency, said in an email: "We sent swift water rescue teams to the area overnight, and those teams conducted approximately two dozen rescues".
He added that Lyndon, near Lyndonville, and St. Johnsbury, were damaged, but that the agency was waiting for more information. Local news stations showed images of wrecked culverts and destroyed roads in St. Johnsbury. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Lyndonville Select Board member Dan Colburn said some homes in the town that were damaged earlier in July were "washed away" during this storm. He confirmed people were rescued, but the emergency management agency did not have further information.
He said: "The last storm was a wake-up call," adding: "I thought I would never see anything like that again. I don't think that holds a candle to this. Not even close," and: "There's a lot of broken hearts."
More rain is forecast for Tuesday with the emergency agency warning: "Be ready for more heavy rain and potential flash flooding today. The areas impacted by last night's storm are in the path of highest risk,".
A section of Interstate 91 and parts of two key roads near St. Johnsbury are shut down due to flooding, announced the state's transportation department. "Respect all road detours and closures and never walk or drive through floodwaters," Governor Phil Scott warned in an online post.
Earlier in July, Vermont suffered significant flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which devastated roads, bridges, and farms. This disaster struck on the anniversary of another severe flooding event that affected Vermont and several other states last year.
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