Vermont flooding: Photos show washed-out roads and damaged houses from Hurricane Beryl's remnants
Exactly one year since historic flooding ravaged northern Vermont, heavy rains — remnants of Hurricane Beryl — triggered flash floods on Thursday that washed aways roads and bridges, toppled an apartment building and left at least two people dead.
Up to six inches of rain fell in a matter of hours in virtually the exact same area that was devastated by the historic 2023 flooding.
In Plainfield, Vt., a six-unit apartment building was swept away by floodwaters. Michael Billingsley, the town’s emergency management director, said residents of the building had just 15 minutes to evacuate before it was washed away.
“The water was coming up, so I knew it was time to leave with my dog,” Hilary Conant, who fled her second-floor Plainfield apartment, told the Associated Press. Conant, who had to evacuate the same building during last year’s floods, said having to do it again was “very retraumatizing.”
But others were not as fortunate. A 73-year-old man identified as John Rice died when his vehicle was swept off a roadway in Lyndonville, Vt., and into a hayfield that was submerged under 10 feet of water, officials said. Vermont State Police said Rice had ignored bystanders’ warnings to turn around. His body was recovered several hours later.
Dylan Kempton, 33, died when his all-terrain vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Peacham, Vt., late Wednesday. His body was recovered Thursday morning.
The deluge came a year to the day of the historic and catastrophic floods of July 11, 2023, which drew comparisons to the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Irene more than a decade earlier.
"The damage is significant," Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said Friday. "It will take a few days before we have a more complete understanding of the damage and what is needed for recovery."
"But as I visited towns yesterday and spoke with people, I was reminded of how resilient Vermonters really are, even in the face of devastation," he added. "I saw many community members come together doing what they can for their neighbors to help them get through this."
Vermont and parts of northern New York and New England remained under flood watches or warnings early Friday, the National Weather Service said, as thunderstorms associated with Beryl were forecast for much of the region.
See more photos of Thursday's flooding in Vermont:
