Historic flooding continued to hit Vermont Tuesday, turning roads into rivers, forcing people out of their homes and prompting a statewide state of emergency.
As cleanup efforts get underway, Governor Phil Scott said thousands of homes and businesses have been impacted.
“The devastation and flooding we’re experiencing across Vermont is historic and catastrophic,” he said.
Vermont’s capitol of Montpelier was hammered by a record-setting 5.28 inches of rain on Monday, more than any other day on record.
A day later, some streets were seen completely covered by water, with no signs of cars or people nearby. Rescuers were seen traveling by boat over flooded streets in some spots. In Montpelier, one man was also seen using a kayak to paddle around a flooded area.
In Londonderry, south of Montpelier, a drone captured video of rising water moving through town, leaving homes looking like islands.
A similar sight played out in Ludlow, where cars were left abandoned in roads. Floodwaters also washed out some area roads and eroded away the soil under at least one set of train tracks.
Restaurant owner Andrew Molen of Fox Run Hospitality Group said one of his restaurants in Ludlow was destroyed during the storm.
He shared video of the moment water filled the restaurant — Sam’s Steakhouse.
“The amount of rain that came in, as you can see, just ripped this apart,” Molen told 7NEWS.
Video in Molen’s restaurant showed floating debris. Among the damage, Molen said the force of the water flipped an ice machine.
“It just came in with a force,” he said.
Matt Graves is an owner at DJ’s Restaurant elsewhere in Ludlow.
“It’s devastating,” he said. “It breaks my heart.”
At DJ’s, heartbreak turned into action on Tuesday as the eatery opened its doors to the entire community with a free buffet.
The warm meal, staff said, was just the start of efforts to come together and rebuild the community.
“Everybody’s helping everybody,” said owner Christine Graves. “They are coming in here with muck books on covered in dirt and sediment from the basement. This is what you do.”
More than 100 people had been rescued throughout Vermont as of Tuesday and officials said rescues were still ongoing Tuesday afternoon.
The fire department in Bedford, New Hampshire posted photos of some of its firefighters helping people in Vermont, working to rescue people and their pets from standed vehicles and homes.
From Massachusetts, the state’s Task Force One shared photos of the search and rescue team from Beverly aiding with rescues.
Gov. Scott posted an image of himself on social media using a snowmobile trail to get to his home, saying roads in the area were “completely impassable.”
“Roads are destroyed,” Andrew Molen said. “Lot of structures are destroyed. It’s going to be a lot of teamwork to rebuild all this.”
While no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of severe flooding in Vermont, to date, state emergency officials said Tuesday that the response to the situation is still in its “earliest stages.”
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