A slow-moving, two-day storm system dropped a significant amount of rain on portions of the Northeast early last week, causing the worst flooding in the region since Hurricane Irene in 2011. Though rivers overflowed throughout the area, the most severe flooding was in central Vermont, with government operations being hastily relocated after the capital of Montpelier was hammered by a record-setting 5.28 inches of rainfall on Monday. The city and surrounding communities experienced catastrophic flooding that destroyed a large number of homes and caused widespread damage to infrastructure, stranding many residents and preventing travel across the region.
By late last week, search and rescue teams had rescued over 200 individuals across the state, with Vermont-based emergency responders being aided by others from neighboring states. Flash flooding inundated areas that had been spared from flooding during Hurricane Irene, while dams and reservoirs across the state were pushed to their limits (though none were overtopped or breached). Flooding in New York State was also significant, with one fatality reported in Orange County.
It is not yet clear how many homes were damaged by the time rains began tapering off on Tuesday, even while state governments in the region announced that they remained in emergency response mode. Vermont is collecting information on damage to support an expanded federal disaster declaration after President Biden declared a disaster and approved reimbursement for emergency operations by state and local governments on Monday.
Caught in the middle of the disaster are around 800 former residents of a non-congregate shelter that had been funded since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, first through FEMA reimbursement and then by the State of Vermont. However, the state terminated a large portion of that funding earlier this summer, forcing many individuals out of their hotel rooms and into the street. NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to monitor the situation and support efforts to coordinate assistance for individuals experiencing homelessness and impacted low-income residents of Vermont during this crisis.