Vermont holds its breath: the floodwaters at the pressurized Wrightsville Dam begin to rise
Vermont’s Wrightsville Dam reached full capacity on Tuesday night, officials announced — meaning the spillways could be used for the first time since the dam’s construction in 1935 and send more water to the flood-ravaged capital of Montpelier.
Heavy rain on Sunday caused the worst flooding since Hurricane Irene in 2011, with only the Great Flood in Vermont of 1927 worse than before.
Montpelier is one of the hardest hit areas and on Tuesday night city officials began providing updates every two hours as residents watched the dam in fear.
By noon on Tuesday afternoon, the water level at the dam had risen about 30 feet in 24 hours.
The Wrightsville Dam, which overlooks the state’s capital, Montpelier, was full by 4 p.m. Tuesday and flood waters were approaching the overflow water — which runs into the city
Much of Montpelier was flooded on Tuesday, as residents looked at the dam’s water with concern
William Fraser, Montpelier’s city manager, said they had no idea what to expect when the spillways came into use.
“This has never happened since the dam was built, so there’s no precedent for potential damage,” he said in a Facebook post.
“A large amount of water would flow into Montpelier, which would drastically increase the existing flood damage.”
The Winooski River that flows through Montpelier surpassed the level it had reached in August 2011 when Irene flooded the state, reaching 21.35 feet at 9 a.m. — the second highest all-time record.
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Wrightsville Dam was at maximum capacity, local authorities said.
The Winooski and North Branch rivers “remain high and pose a serious threat to anyone near the floodwaters,” they warned.
Mail trucks swept over Tuesday during flooding of the Winooski River
Montpelier police shared images of the flooding in the center on Tuesday
Montpelier residents were told not to drink tap water, as the system was likely overloaded and the water was contaminated.
Many roads were impassable and even the governor, Phil Scott, was cut off – he had to climb hills to get out of his house and around the floodwaters.
Scott called the situation “historic” and warned it was far from over.
“While the sun is shining today and tomorrow, we expect more rain later this week, which has nowhere to go in the oversaturated soil,” Scott said.
So I want to be clear – we’re not out of the woods. This is far from over and in this phase our primary focus remains on life and safety before we can move into a recovery phase.”
An emergency health order banning people from the city center expired at 3pm on Tuesday, but officials urged people not to travel to the embattled capital.
“The inner city remains flooded and is not safe for public transport. Unless you are a business owner making a necessary visit to your store, you should avoid the center of Montpelier until emergency services have had time to assess the damage and ensure public safety.”
Fraser said those trapped in the city should stay where they are.
“Unfortunately, there are very few evacuation options left,” Fraser said.
“People in high-risk areas may want to move to the upper floors of their homes. The city has asked that rapid water rescue equipment be moved to the area to assist where possible.”
President Joe Biden approved a request for a disaster declaration on Tuesday, allowing federal resources to be sent to the area to help.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott warned residents on Tuesday that they were ‘not out of the woods yet’
Vermont residents were warned Tuesday not to try to get to downtown Montpelier
The Vermont State Police said the state’s rapid water rescue teams have completed more than 100 rescues across the state and are still conducting rescues.
Additional rescue teams from Connecticut, Massachusetts and North Carolina were also in Vermont to help, and others are on their way.
National Guard helicopters are also being deployed to assist with evacuations in the hardest hit communities and the most remote areas inaccessible to rapid water teams.
Many of the people who lived in the area and owned businesses did not have flood insurance.
Bob Nelson, the owner of Nelson Ace Hardware in downtown Barre, estimated he had lost about $300,000 in inventory, which his insurance doesn’t cover.
But he told The New York Times that the community’s support, he said, was “incredible.”
“Texts, phone calls, people stopping, people shoveling mud off our front curb,” he said.
“It’s just been fantastic.”