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Residents in Vermont’s capital were being warned of a “potentially dangerous situation” Tuesday as a crucial dam inched within a foot of overflowing after the state was pummeled by intense rain overnight.
Helicopters joined frantic rescue efforts to ferry more than 100 people to safety in the state, including in Montpelier, near where the Wrightsville Dam was just 12 inches from breaching its spillway wall by afternoon.
“This has never happened since the dam was built, so there is no precedent for potential damage,” Town Manager Bill Fraser said earlier Tuesday, when the water level at the dam was 6 inches from overflowing.
Montpelier Police said the water levels steadied at the 1-foot mark by the afternoon.
“We have been in close contact with the onsite Vermont Dam Safety Representative who believes minimal increases can be expected,” the cops said in an update.
But “every additional foot of water that goes over the spillway doubles the amount of water entering the City from the dam,” police said — an ominous warning for residents in the capital city that remains largely submerged after about 9 inches of water dumped on the city overnight.
More rain was in the forecast for the region Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“We have not seen rainfall like this since Irene,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said, referring to August 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene, which killed six people in the state.
“This is going on. We’re getting just as much rain, if not more,” he said. “It’s going on for days. That’s my concern. It’s not just the initial damage. It’s the wave, the second wave, and the third wave.”
The storm has already caused catastrophic flash floods in Montpelier at levels not seen in nearly a century.
“Unfortunately, there are very few evacuation options remaining,” Fraser said. “People in at-risk areas may wish to go to upper floors in their houses.”
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths tied to the Vermont flooding, according to emergency officials.
Dozens of roads remained closed, and some towns had become inaccessible.
The National Weather Service still has flash-flood warnings and advisories in place for much of the state.
The slow-moving storm reached New England by Tuesday after lashing parts of New York over the weekend.
One of the worst-hit places was the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, where Pamela Nugent, 43, died as she tried to escape her flooded home Sunday with her dog in Fort Montgomery. The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed the woman’s house and damaged part of its wall, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said.
Officials say the storm has already wrought tens of millions of dollars in damage.
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