Rescues and cleanup efforts continued in Vermont Wednesday with help from a Massachusetts task force after devastating floods this week.
Record breaking rainfall caused severe flooding in multiple states in the Northeast over multiple days, pushing people out of their homes and businesses and leaving behind a mess of mud and debris as waters receded.
Crews from Massachusetts deployed to Vermont from Beverly to help with rescues earlier this week. By Wednesday, a task force spokesperson said the team had made some rescues, helping get 18 adults, five children and two dogs to safety from one multi-family building surrounded by floodwaters in Cambridge, Vermont.
“In some areas, the water was eight-feet deep around their property,” said spokesperson Tom Gatzunis.
Gatzunis said there was “no power, no utilities, no way to get in or out.”
“With this heat,” he continued, “it can turn into a pretty bad situation quickly.”
The Massachusetts Task Force One sent 45 members to Vermont alongside boats and other equipment as part of its efforts.
In Cambridge, officials said local crews worked with personnel from North Carolina, Michigan and the U.S. Military for several hours between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to free trapped people and pets.
A small support team has been left behind in Beverly to help coordinate the response. Most of the work, though, is hands-on and requires on-the-spot thinking.
“They have boats,” said Janice Corkhum, another task force spokesperson. “They have equipment to break through things.”
“Whatever it needs to get to these people, whether they’re up on a roof or stranded in a room, they will get to them,” Corkhum said.
Massachusetts crews are not the only local response team pitching in.
The fire department from Bedford, New Hampshire posted photos this week of some of its firefighters in Vermont helping rescue people and their pets from standed vehicles and homes.
Five National Guard helicopters are also assisting alongside rescue teams as officials said water conditions in some locations remained too dangerous for boat rescues on Wednesday,
The flood damage has drawn comparisons to Hurricane Irene, which hit some communities hard in 2011.
While the rain this week had stopped as of Wednesday, officials said the need for help continues.
“We’re prepared to be there for two weeks plus, if necessary, but it really is up to the state of Vermont and what their capabilities are and what their needs are,” Gatzunis said.
Business owners, homeowners clean up after flooding
Vermont’s state capitol, Montpelier, was not spared from flooding. By Wednesday, the city was coated in mud and dirt. Sidewalks were also covered in debris, drying mud created clouds of dust in the downtown area and local business owners were surveying damage to their businesses.
At the Capitol Theatre, owners told 7NEWS they have never seen anything like the damage this week’s flood brought.
“We could see the water coming up,” said Frederick Bashara. “It was just getting higher and higher.”
Theater seats were coated in mud. Bashara said the theater also suffered damage to its floors and walls.
“It was tough this time,” he said.
Less than a half mile down the street, people were pumping water out of their homes Wednesday.
One homeowner told 7NEWS everything below the water line will need to be ripped out.
“I have called my local insurance company and they told me they don’t deal with it,” the homeowner said.
In Ludlow, Vermont, the same floodwaters that ran through Montpelier turned a mountain into a gorge, eroding soil under a set of train tracks.
Mud from Okemo Mountain slid into a nearby plaza, where business owners were forced to dig out.
In other parts of town, water destroyed businesses, collapsed roads and forced people to abandon their cars.
“It’s catastrophic damage and it’s eerily familiar to 12 years ago,” said Vermont resident Patrick Cody, referencing Irene.
Flooding also impacted Barre, Vermont, causing damage and leaving mud along many area streets.
In a statement Monday night, local officials said first responders were in the process of making “multiple rescues.”
Video shared with 7NEWS showed some of the flooding in Barre near Nelson Ace Hardware, which was underwater as of Tuesday morning, according to a post on its Facebook page.
A boil water notice remained in place for Barre on Wednesday and new road closures are expected beginning on Thursday to make way for street sweepers tasked with cleaning city roads, officials said.
“There is a lot of work ahead of us — but Barre is resilient and we will come back stronger than ever,” read a statement on the Barre city website.
Vermont state Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said crews had made 200 total rescues in Vermont since Sunday as of Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.
President Joe Biden has also declared an emergency for Vermont and authorized federal disaster relief assistance.
As cleanup work got underway, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott toured some areas impacted by flooding on Wednesday. Among comments, Scott said flooding from recent storms surpassed levels seen from Irene, as reported by the AP.
Area residents speaking on Wednesday agreed, saying damage in 2011 was nothing compared to what they’re seeing now.
Even so, neighbors were helping neighbors throughout Vermont communities, saying they’re willing to help clean, pass out food and even offer up places to stay.
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