MONTPELIER: A dam upstream from the Vermont state capital was holding at maximum capacity on Tuesday after "catastrophic" flooding shut down roadways leading out of Montpelier and trapped people in their homes.
The Wrightsville Dam, which forms a reservoir four miles (6.4 km) north of Montpelier, neared the point at which a spillway would need to release water into the North Branch of the Winooski River, city officials said.
That would aggravate what the National Weather Service has called "catastrophic" flooding in Montpelier's picturesque downtown district, where people navigated the submerged streets in canoes and floodwaters reached the windows of businesses and the tops of vehicles.
The North Branch converges with a second, larger branch of the Winooski near the Vermont statehouse.
The growing frequency and intensity of severe weather across the United States is symptomatic of global, human-driven climate change, climate scientists say.
While a Northeast state capital is under water, ocean temperatures have soared to as high as 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) in Florida, Texas is sizzling under a heat dome, and California is bracing for temperatures as high as 120 F (49 C) in desert areas this weekend.
Much of the U.S. Northeast including parts of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut have already had as much as 8 inches (20 cm) of rain over the last several days.
"Make no mistake, the devastation and flooding we're experiencing across Vermont is historic and catastrophic," Vermont Governor Phil Scott said at a briefing Tuesday.
Montpelier City Manager William Fraser in a Facebook post urged the city's 8,000 people to be prepared to move to the upper floors of their homes as highway closures made evacuations difficult or impossible.
Throughout the state, search teams have rescued 117 people from their homes and cars by swift boat, as officials fielded calls that even more people were trapped in their homes in remote areas, Mike Cannon, leader of the state's Urban Search and Rescue operation, told a briefing.
Vermont officials called the flooding the worst since Hurricane Irene reached the New England state as a tropical storm in 2011 and caused about $750 million in damages and seven deaths in the state.
The city's topography - bordered by hills with the downtown in a valley - increases the potential for flooding, Montpelier City Council member Conor Casey said.
"My wife and I live right on the river and it's about two feet from coming in the living room," Casey said. "We're a bit used to it from Irene, so it's not totally foreign, but I think the scary thing is that it feels a bit worse so far."
The flood took its toll on the regional economy, with private forecaster AccuWeather estimating damages and economic loss at $3 billion to $5 billion.
Most of the crops at Boyd Family Farm in Wilmington, Vermont, were lost in the storm, said Janet Boyd, who owns the 80-year-old business along with her husband and son at the southern end of the Green Mountains.
"We lost all the vegetables and only have our blueberries left," Boyd said, "all the greens, the tomatoes, the peppers, the garlic."
Joe Miles, 59, owner of the Montpelier-based R.K. Miles Building Materials, said three of his eight locations in the state were heavily damaged, with two of them cut off by flooding.
Much of his lumber and plywood inventory was lost to water damage.
"It's awful and tragic, but fortunately no one got hurt," Miles said. "We'll get through it."
Reuters
Wed Jul 12 2023
![Vermont capital submerged in floodwaters with dam on verge of capacity Vermont capital submerged in floodwaters with dam on verge of capacity](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-07/61689139415_flood.jpg)
A person rows a paddle board in a flooded area in Montpelier, Vermont, US. - REUTERS
![Reman suspek kes keropok beracun disambung dua hari Reman suspek kes keropok beracun disambung dua hari](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721107133_keropokberacunrem.jpg)
Reman suspek kes keropok beracun disambung dua hari
Tempoh reman terhadap seorang pemilik kebun disambung selama dua hari, bagi membantu siasatan kematian dua kanak-kanak yang meninggal dunia akibat makan keropok beracun.
![Tidak perlu lagi kemas kini status COVID-19 dalam MySejahtera - KKM Tidak perlu lagi kemas kini status COVID-19 dalam MySejahtera - KKM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721100784_TBmysj.jpg)
Tidak perlu lagi kemas kini status COVID-19 dalam MySejahtera - KKM
Jika positif COVID-19 melalui ujian kendiri, pesakit boleh mengunjungi klinik dan hospital berdekatan bagi mendapatkan pengesahan.
![Mayat hampir reput dijumpai di rumah usang Mayat hampir reput dijumpai di rumah usang](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-12/41702437730_maut.jpg)
Mayat hampir reput dijumpai di rumah usang
Mayat hampir reput ditemui di sebuah rumah usang di Kesang Laut, berdekatan pusat timbang Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) pada Ahad.
Wanita dakwa dituduh Rafizi fail saman
Seorang wanita memfailkan saman terhadap Menteri Ekonomi, Rafizi Ramli bagi menuntut permohonan maaf secara terbuka berhubung dakwaan bahawa wanita berkenaan ialah isteri kepada bekas menteri yang dikaitkan dengan isu kapal tempur pesisir (LCS).
Bagaimanapun, Rafizi bergantung kepada pembelaan justifikasi berkata bersedia membuktikan kenyataan di mahkamah termasuk perlindungan bersyarat dan ulasan yang saksama terhadap saman fitnah yang difailkan oleh Zainab Mohd Salleh.
Bagaimanapun, Rafizi bergantung kepada pembelaan justifikasi berkata bersedia membuktikan kenyataan di mahkamah termasuk perlindungan bersyarat dan ulasan yang saksama terhadap saman fitnah yang difailkan oleh Zainab Mohd Salleh.
![Ahli Parlimen PN pakai reben putih di lengan tak langgar peraturan - Timbalan Speaker Ahli Parlimen PN pakai reben putih di lengan tak langgar peraturan - Timbalan Speaker](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721011336_PerikatanNasional.jpg)
Ahli Parlimen PN pakai reben putih di lengan tak langgar peraturan - Timbalan Speaker
Jelas Timbalan Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat itu, pendirian tersebut adalah keputusannya dan ia tidak dibuat oleh Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
![Trump umum Senator JD Vance sebagai calon Naib Presidennya Trump umum Senator JD Vance sebagai calon Naib Presidennya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721107129_DonaldTrumpJDV.jpg)
Trump umum Senator JD Vance sebagai calon Naib Presidennya
Bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat Donald Trump mengumumkan Senator Ohio JD Vance akan menjadi calon Naib Presidennya dalam pilihan raya 2024.
AWANI Ringkas: Pan Gon bakal umum letak jawatan hari ini?
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
![iOS 18 tampil ciri kembalikan gambar, video yang hilang atau rosak iOS 18 tampil ciri kembalikan gambar, video yang hilang atau rosak](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721103714_iOS.jpg)
iOS 18 tampil ciri kembalikan gambar, video yang hilang atau rosak
Pada iOS 18, iPadOS 18 dan macOS Sequoia, Apple memperkenalkan ciri baharu yang membolehkan data yang hilang ini dikembalikan.
[TERKINI] Suspek kes pempengaruh Esha mengaku bersalah
Seorang pemandu lori berusia 43 tahun mengaku bersalah membuat kenyataan menyinggung perasaan terhadap mendiang empengaruh media sosial, A Rajeswary atau Esha di TikTok.
Projek HSR Jakarta-Bandung rekod 4 juta penumpang
Projek Kereta Api Laju (HSR) Jakarta-Bandung yang dikenali sebagai Whoosh membawa empat juta penumpang sejak ia beroperasi secara komersial pada 17 Oktober, tahun lalu.
![Pesawat 'ghaib' lebih 50 tahun akhirnya ditemui di dasar tasik Pesawat 'ghaib' lebih 50 tahun akhirnya ditemui di dasar tasik](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/81718378391_JetmissingV.jpg)
Pesawat 'ghaib' lebih 50 tahun akhirnya ditemui di dasar tasik
Penemuannya di sebuah kepulauan di tasik Champlain, Vermont itu sekali gus merungkai misteri kehilangan lima lelaki yang terlibat nahas.
![Banjir: Joe Biden isytihar darurat di Vermont Banjir: Joe Biden isytihar darurat di Vermont](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-07/71689137422_Vermont.jpg)
Banjir: Joe Biden isytihar darurat di Vermont
Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) Joe Biden mengisytiharkan darurat di Vermont ketika negeri itu dilanda banjir besar.
![Spesies orkid dipercayai pupus ditemui selepas 100 tahun Spesies orkid dipercayai pupus ditemui selepas 100 tahun](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-06/81654988260_orchid.jpg)
Spesies orkid dipercayai pupus ditemui selepas 100 tahun
Orkid jenis pogonia berbulu kecil itu ditemui di Vermont selepas kali terakhir ia terlihat pada 1902.