No one has died in one of Vermont's worst natural disasters in a century, officials said Wednesday, but while the sun was out, the flood danger was not over.
Cleanup is expected to take months after heavy rainfall brought severe flooding, washing out roads and damaging thousands of homes. First responders and organizations from across New England have entered the Green Mountain State to provide assistance, and President Joe Biden has pledged to offer his full support, Gov. Phil Scott said at a news conference.
Vermont remains under a state of emergency as federal and state officials work to assess the damage, and additional rainfall forecasted for Thursday and Friday and into the weekend is not expected to help with the efforts to clear the damage.
"This may not be over. With rain in the forecast, and nowhere for it to go, we could see waters rise again," Scott said, joined by the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Vermont's congressional delegation.
He said the National Weather Service was forecasting 1-2 inches of rain before the weekend, but said more was possible — he hadn't expected the 7-9 inches that some areas saw ahead of the flooding, which Sen. Bernie Sanders said was "the worst natural disaster in the state of Vermont since 1927."
He and other officials who spoke Wednesday were thankful that no deaths associated with the flooding had yet been reported. More than 200 people have been rescued so far and that work continued on Wednesday; most rivers had crested but waterways were still considered too dangerous to enter.
"Vermonters, keep your guard up and do not take chances," Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Jennifer Morrison said.
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There were still flooding worries focused on five waterways Wednesday, but all rivers were expected to be below flood stage by Thursday.
Eric Dubowik, deputy fire chief in Bedford, New Hampshire, was one of six firefighters sent Monday to Berlin, Vermont, as part of a Swift Water Rescue Team.
"Our first call at 2 o'clock was a car that got stuck in a river. It was a washed-out road," he explained. "The river swelled, and it was stuck, and with a person trapped inside."
Dubowik, by way of a virtual interview, told NBC10 Boston that crews from all over were in the area assisting with rescues and evacuations.
Photos show major flooding in Vermont amid historic storms
"When the sun started to come up, we could really notice the damage," he said. "We went to one of the surrounding towns, which is Barre, Vermont, and the water was so deep that a lot of places we couldn’t even travel."
Teams used boats and other gear to navigate roads, now blocked by water, trees and sink holes.
More on the Vermont flooding
"A lot of the water came so fast that people got trapped on the roads traveling," Dubowik said. "So a lot of people were stuck in their cars, we had people on the roof."
Also escaping the floods are pets. Nine dogs, 11 cats and a chinchilla are now set to be flown out of state.
"We got a call today that the area of Montpelier was in danger, and that's the center of Vermont humane society that needed assistance with evacuation," explained Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs for MSPCA Angell.
"They'll fly to us in Massachusetts and then will be distributed to all four of our adoption centers," Keiley said.
For those who are unable to adopt, the MSPCA is also asking for donations to help offset the costs of taking the animals in.
"They'll go through their isolation period, get cleared and go right out for adoption, and hopefully right into new homes as quickly as possible," said Keiley.
