Latest updates on flash floods: Biden declares a state of emergency in Vermont, at least one person has died in New York

Some people canoed overnight to Vermont’s Cavendish Baptist Church, which had been turned into an emergency shelter, while volunteers baked cookies for firefighters working on rescue operations. reported the Associated Press.

“People are fine. It’s just stressful,” Amanda Gross, a volunteer at the shelter, told AP.

Vermont Representative Kelly Pajala said she and about half a dozen others were evacuated early Monday from a four-unit apartment building on the West River in Londonderry.

“The river was on our doorstep,” Ms. Pajala said. “We threw some dry clothes and our cats in the car and drove to higher ground.”

A storm that left up to two months of rain in Vermont and flooded other parts of the Northeast pulled out Tuesday morning, but more flooding was expected after access to some communities, including the main approach to the state capital, was already cut off.

According to emergency authorities, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the Vermont flooding. But dozens of roads were closed, including many along the Green Mountains. And the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings and warnings for much of the state from the Massachusetts line in the north to the Canadian border.

The slow-moving storm reached New England after hitting parts of New York, where one person died trying to leave their home during flash flooding, and Connecticut on Sunday.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said Monday night some parts of the state experienced worse flooding than 2011 during Tropical Storm Irene, a historic storm that destroyed bridges, homes and roads.

“We haven’t seen precipitation like this since Irene,” said Mr. Scott of Vermont, adding that the difference is that Irene only lasted about 24 hours.

“It goes on like this. We get just as much rain, if not more. It lasts for days. That’s my concern. It’s not just the initial damage. It’s the wave, the second wave and the third wave.” he said.

US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Vermont, where torrential rain has triggered life-threatening flash floods.

The emergency response frees federal resources to supplement state and local response efforts and empowers the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts across Vermont.

According to a joint press release from the Vermont Department of Public Safety and Vermont Emergency Management, many rivers in the state were expected to “peak overnight and reach flood waters.”

“Vermont residents should be vigilant and aware of conditions as flood waters rise,” authorities warned in Monday night’s news release.

“If your home is near flooding, evacuate to higher ground sooner rather than later because flooding could affect your route and leave you stranded.”

The devastating floods that have ravaged New York and the entire northeast coast of the United States have already caused billions of dollars in flood damage, according to reports from private organizations.

While authorities have yet to release a state total for all damages, private weather forecaster AccuWeather tentatively estimated the damage and economic losses at between $3 billion and $5 billion, based on its own assessment methodology.

New York and Vermont were the hardest-hit states as torrential rains battered much of the Northeast US, causing flooding and widespread damage.

More rain was expected overnight into the morning, according to the National Weather Service, which would create further flooding hazards.

Vermont officials called the flooding the worst since Hurricane Irene hit the state as a tropical storm in 2011.

“This is a hands-on event,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said at a news conference.

Parts of Vermont had already received six to eight inches of rain, turning the streets into torrential rivers.

In New York, more than 20 inches of rain fell Sunday through yesterday in Stormville, a small town just over 50 miles (80 km) northeast of New York City.

Much of New York’s flooding occurred along the Hudson River north of New York City, including the Orange County town of West Point, home of the United States Army Military Academy.

Meteorologists said flash flooding from excessive rain could be expected across New England through Tuesday morning, with Vermont at highest risk.

“Dangerous, widespread flash flooding from excessive rain is expected across New England through Tuesday morning; “Highest risk for Vermont with expected impact on transit routes,” warned the National Weather Service.

Rainfall levels could exceed 2 inches per hour, authorities said.

The rain is expected to continue at least through the middle of this week, and federal weather forecasters will then determine if another front is heading towards New England.

More than 13 million Americans are under flood surveillance and warnings from eastern New York state to Boston and western Maine in the Northeast, the National Weather Service said in its forecast yesterday after storms that began over the weekend flooded rivers and streams.

More than 1,000 flights to and from airports across the region, including New York’s LaGuardia and Boston’s Logan, were delayed or canceled yesterday due to the rains.

Amtrak suspended passenger rail service between the state capital, Albany, and New York City after damaged tracks were flooded, as did the Metro-North commuter rail, which partially shares the same tracks.