Vermont gets respite from flood warnings as US senator pushes for disaster aid package
LYNDON, Vermont — Vermont residents woke up to a calmer weather forecast Thursday, with no flood warnings after a new round of devastating stormswhile a U.S. state senator asked Congress to pass a relief package that would help communities across the country dealing with forest firesfloods, hurricanes And tornadoes.
Downpours were reported in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire Wednesday night. St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which received more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain on Tuesday, saw less than an inch of rain on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott said at a news conference Wednesday that the latest storms to hit the state have undone much of the cleanup and recovery work from the last major flood just weeks ago, and he called on residents to “work together.”
“This time it is extra bad, after employees have been working feverishly for the past three weeks to recover from the last flood, “Scott said. “It feels a lot worse than a punch or a kick. It’s just demoralizing. But we can’t give up. We have to stick together and fight back against the feeling of defeat.”
State officials said preliminary information indicated that 50 homes were destroyed or sustained significant damage. More than a half-dozen roads were closed, a lightning strike knocked out water to part of the city of St. Johnsbury and flooding contaminated several wells serving the village of Lyndonville.
In Washington, Democratic Senator Peter Welch has asked Congress to pass an additional emergency aid package.
“We cannot recover without that federal help,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night. “I can’t emphasize this enough. We need Congress to step up. And we need all of us here to help, because, well, this time it’s Vermont, next time it could be New Hampshire. Next month it could be Texas. And I believe that when an event occurs that causes so much harm to the people we represent, we all need to help each other. And it’s not their fault.”
Vermont has experienced major flooding earlier in July caused by what was left of Hurricane Beryl. The flooding destroyed roads and bridges and inundated farms, and it came exactly one year after a previous match from severe flooding that hit Vermont and several other states.
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.