Parts of the Northeast Kingdom hit by flash floods

Updated at 11:31 am

Heavy rain caused severe early morning flooding in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, washing out roads and requiring rapid water rescues.

Authorities urge residents to be extremely cautious.

“As long as your home is not in danger, please stay there,” said Eric Forand, Vermont’s director of emergency management. If you must go out, please do not drive in standing water – you never know what will be below the surface. And if you need help, please call 911 to get assistance as quickly as possible.”

Flood warnings remain in effect until 12:45 a.m. for parts of Caledonia and Essex counties.

“The overnight flash flooding was a little more localized than we saw two or three weeks ago — however, it was just as severe locally,” said John Goff, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington.

“Reliable reports of 7 to 8 inches of rain fell in downtown St. Johnsbury, also in Morgan, Vermont — that was another hard-hit area,” Goff said.

Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury recorded 7.96 inches of precipitation, the highest single-day total in 130 years of recorded weather.

In East Burke, some people found themselves with several inches of water in their yards. Even more homes were cut off from the road after roads and roads were washed away.

City officials, including City Manager Jim Sullivan, have been out since 5 a.m. to assess the damage. By mid-morning, Sullivan was parked off Mountain Road, watching the flooding from Dish Mill Brook.

“We’re just going to kick ass,” he said. “It’s what we do. We seem to be doing it a lot more now. But yeah, I’m just laughing because otherwise I’d cry.”

The storm that hit Burke early this morning was a repeat of flooding earlier this month that damaged roads on the west side of the city.

“It hit our entire east side today,” Sullivan said. “It was just the pounding — the pounding that the bridge abutments are getting right now. That is what causes the damage.”

Parts of East Lyndon are cut off from surrounding roads and inaccessible to emergency workers as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Between 5 and 8.5 inches of rain fell over parts of the region early this morning and washed out the roads connecting Lyndon to the town of Kirby.

“Every bridge or sewer that goes into that area is totally gone,” Lyndonville Fire Department Chief Jeff Corrow said. “Right now, most of the road is part of the river.”

Several swift water rescue teams checked on residents on foot.

“They used ladders to go over some bridges and canals that are outside. I think I heard someone say they used an excavator to drive through,” Corrow said.

So far, rescue teams have reported half a dozen homes that are completely destroyed, and one resident has been rescued from the flood waters.

“This poor woman built a little house by the river,” Corrow said. “As her tiny house was swallowed up in the river, she went for a swim and my team ended up finding her in the river. He’s in the hospital right now, but he’s fine.”

As of 8:45 a.m., Forand, of Vermont Emergency Management, told Vermont Public that swift water rescues were beginning to wind down, but crews were on standby as the Passumpsic River continued to rise. The river is expected to crest later this afternoon at just under 17 feet, which is moderate flood stage.

Several road closures are reported in the Kingdom, including US 2 and several points of US 5 in St. Johnsbury, parts of Route 111 in Morgan and Route 114 in East Burke. For information on state road closures, visit newengland511.org or watch @511VT on X. (For local road closures, use the Waze app or monitor city communications, such as a website or Facebook page.)

Flooding is active and more closures are expected.

Lisa Rathke

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Associated Press

Flooding was concentrated over Caledonia and Essex counties in Vermont and northern Grafton County in New Hampshire. Significant flood damage was reported in East Burke and Lyndonville, according to the National Weather Service.

Warm air, holding more moisture, is still in place over Vermont. Today, the National Weather Service says additional isolated thunderstorms and rain could lead to more flooding and high winds this afternoon into the evening across portions of Caledonia County and the Northeast Kingdom.

On Wednesday, a storm currently sitting over the Great Lakes could bring more heavy rain and flash flooding to the region.

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