Latest news with #KyleSeymour
Mint
a day ago
- Climate
- Mint
Vermont's summer floods strike again, washing out roads and homes
Vermont faced another summer of flash floods Thursday as up to 5 inches of rain fell in just hours, overwhelming rivers and roads. The small town of Sutton saw nearly 20 homes cut off when Calendar Brook overflowed, trapping residents who needed rescue by swift-water teams from neighboring towns. Fire Chief Kyle Seymour described how the "incredibly strong, quick-moving" storm overwhelmed culverts and streams within an hour. While less widespread than 2023's catastrophic floods, this marks the third consecutive year of major summer flooding, leaving officials exhausted. Vermont's steep valleys and wetter climate make it a flooding hotspot, explains the National Weather Service. Rainfall has increased by 6 inches annually since the 1960s, while mountainous terrain funnels water into narrow lowland communities. Thursday's downpour stemmed from tropical moisture colliding with a stalled front, similar to 2023's disaster. In Lyndonville, floodwaters ripped foundations from homes so quickly that one house began collapsing during a rescue. "That house was heading into the river soon," Fire Chief Jeff Corrow said after helping evacuate a couple and their dog. Scientists warn such events may increase by 52% by 2100 as climate change intensifies downpours. For families like Michael and Margaret Fix, the floods brought terror and uncertainty. The Sutton couple, who once helped flood victims, fled upstairs as water filled their downstairs, awaiting rescue crews who guided them out a window. Now, they face rebuilding without flood insurance. Statewide, damage assessments continue, but early reports show washed-out roads in Lyndon, Stowe, and the Northeast Kingdom. In Addison County, high winds tore off part of a high school roof. The emotional toll runs deep: "It's horrible we're hit again," said Sutton resident Lydia Mello, surveying her neighbor's foundationless home. Vermont is racing to adapt amid recurring floods. After 2023's disaster, the state passed the Flood Safety Act to limit riverside development starting in 2028. Programs like RIVER (Resilience Initiative for Vermont Empowerment and Recovery) help towns pursue buyouts, federally funded home demolitions that convert flood zones to open space. But with over 300 buyout applications pending and Vermont's severe housing shortage, relocating residents remains challenging.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Eerie 'Biblical plague' keeps hitting quaint Vermont town on the same DAY each year
A quaint Vermont town has been inundated with biblical flooding on the same day for the third consecutive year, causing havoc for locals. In an eerie case of Deja-vu the town of Sutton was hit with five inches of rain over a few hours on Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The quick downpour caused flash flooding and left parts of the community severely damaged. Local Fire Chief Kyle Seymour believes around 20 homes were cut off as the nearby Calendar Brook burst its bank. Officials in the town of, and across the state, had been bracing for July 10 hoping they would not see a repeat of floods that ravaged the area in 2023 and 2024. But an awful coincidence saw their worst fears come true. Despite the flooding not hitting the levels of devastation seen in previous years, Seymour told The Boston Globe: 'Three years in a row is just insane.' Images captured on the ground show dirt roads left washed away and parts of a local bridge having collapsed under the water. Others show vehicles in the area left stranded in thick mud and the Calendar Brook having burst. Seymour added that four people had to be pulled from their properties by water rescue teams. Two of those had moved to the second floor over their home as floodwaters started to climb. He added that some roads were under four feet of water. Seymour said that the town had been working on improving their storm infrastructure, by increasing the size of road culverts. 'And it just seems like the next year it wasn't enough, I don't know how you build infrastructure for rain events like this', he added. Nearby Lyndonville Fire Department had also deployed their fire crews to the area to help out. There was no injuries or deaths reported. Resident George Boone told NBC5 that he has come to dread July 10 due to the deluge that typically follows it. He said: 'Last year, I had about 30 feet of shoreline and the river went through it. I've lost another four feet of river this time. 'I haven't been able to fix it, its just added to it now', he added that he counted himself lucky for having not totally lost his home. In 2024 four people died in the floods that hit the state, and damages of the last two years have exceeded $1 billion. The aftermath of Thursday's rain is seen here State officials opened the Vermont Emergency Operations Center to track flash flooding across the northeast of the state. In a post to social media advising of road closures on Friday morning, the Sutton Volunteer Fire Department signed off: 'Hopefully this is strike 3 and we are OUT!!'. There's no scientific reason for a flood to occur on the same day each year, but summer storms make flooding more likely in the area each July. In 2024 four people died in the floods that hit the state, and damages of the last two years have exceeded $1 billion and left hundreds homeless. It comes after the Hill Country area of Texas was hit with devastating floods, the death toll of which has risen to at least 120 people with 170 still missing.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flash floods once again hit Vermont, damaging homes and roads
SUTTON, Vt. (AP) — Communities in rural parts of Vermont on Friday woke up once again to damaged homes and washed-out roads due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding, making it the third consecutive summer that severe floods have inundated parts of the state. Up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in just a few hours on Thursday, prompting rapid flooding as local waterways began to swell, said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Burlington office. Nearly 20 homes were cut off in the small town of Sutton as a local brook quickly rose from its banks and surrounded buildings, Fire Chief Kyle Seymour said. His crews were called out to help rescue people from two homes, which required help from swift-water rescue teams called in from neighboring communities. 'This was an incredibly strong, quick-moving localized heavy water," Seymour said. 'It overwhelmed all of our road culverts, all of our streams, all of our rivers. But the actual weather event lasted three hours, with the bulk of the rain concentrated within one hour." Though the severity of the storms wasn't as widespread compared to the past two years, local officials were still surveying the extent of the damage Friday morning and shaking their heads that they were dealing with flood recovery for three years in a row. 'When I started seeing the reporters saying it wasn't going to be that bad, I didn't believe it,' Seymour said, adding that at least one member of his crew has contemplated retiring after experiencing such repeated flood emergencies. According to the National Weather Service, Vermont's experience with floods can be traced to both ongoing climate change and the state's mountainous geography. Greater rainfall and increased moisture availability have made the state's steep terrain more susceptible to flooding. Elsewhere in Vermont, heavy winds blew off a significant portion of a high school's roof in Addison County. Meanwhile, flash flooding also occurred in Massachusetts on Thursday after rains dumped more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Some businesses were flooded in the town of Weymouth, which saw the bulk of the rain and flooding while commuters faced delays as highways and streets south of Boston flooded.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Flash floods once again hit Vermont, damaging homes and roads
SUTTON, Vt. (AP) — Communities in rural parts of Vermont on Friday woke up once again to damaged homes and washed-out roads due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding, making it the third consecutive summer that severe floods have inundated parts of the state. Up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in just a few hours on Thursday, prompting rapid flooding as local waterways began to swell, said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Burlington office. Nearly 20 homes were cut off in the small town of Sutton as a local brook quickly rose from its banks and surrounded buildings, Fire Chief Kyle Seymour said. His crews were called out to help rescue people from two homes, which required help from swift-water rescue teams called in from neighboring communities. 'This was an incredibly strong, quick-moving localized heavy water,' Seymour said. 'It overwhelmed all of our road culverts, all of our streams, all of our rivers. But the actual weather event lasted three hours, with the bulk of the rain concentrated within one hour.' Though the severity of the storms wasn't as widespread compared to the past two years, local officials were still surveying the extent of the damage Friday morning and shaking their heads that they were dealing with flood recovery for three years in a row. 'When I started seeing the reporters saying it wasn't going to be that bad, I didn't believe it,' Seymour said, adding that at least one member of his crew has contemplated retiring after experiencing such repeated flood emergencies. According to the National Weather Service, Vermont's experience with floods can be traced to both ongoing climate change and the state's mountainous geography. Greater rainfall and increased moisture availability have made the state's steep terrain more susceptible to flooding. Elsewhere in Vermont, heavy winds blew off a significant portion of a high school's roof in Addison County. Meanwhile, flash flooding also occurred in Massachusetts on Thursday after rains dumped more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Some businesses were flooded in the town of Weymouth, which saw the bulk of the rain and flooding while commuters faced delays as highways and streets south of Boston flooded.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Flash floods once again hit Vermont, damaging homes and roads
Communities in rural parts of Vermont on Friday woke up once again to damaged homes and washed-out roads due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding, making it the third consecutive summer that severe floods have inundated parts of the state. Up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in just a few hours on Thursday, prompting rapid flooding as local waterways began to swell, said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Burlington office. Nearly 20 homes were cut off in the small town of Sutton as a local brook quickly rose from its banks and surrounded buildings, Fire Chief Kyle Seymour said. His crews were called out to help rescue people from two homes, which required help from swift-water rescue teams called in from neighboring communities. 'This was an incredibly strong, quick-moving localized heavy water," Seymour said. 'It overwhelmed all of our road culverts, all of our streams, all of our rivers. But the actual weather event lasted three hours, with the bulk of the rain concentrated within one hour." Though the severity of the storms wasn't as widespread compared to the past two years, local officials were still surveying the extent of the damage Friday morning and shaking their heads that they were dealing with flood recovery for three years in a row. 'When I started seeing the reporters saying it wasn't going to be that bad, I didn't believe it,' Seymour said, adding that at least one member of his crew has contemplated retiring after experiencing such repeated flood emergencies. According to the National Weather Service, Vermont's experience with floods can be traced to both ongoing climate change and the state's mountainous geography. Greater rainfall and increased moisture availability have made the state's steep terrain more susceptible to flooding. Elsewhere in Vermont, heavy winds blew off a significant portion of a high school's roof in Addison County. Meanwhile, flash flooding also occurred in Massachusetts on Thursday after rains dumped more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Some businesses were flooded in the town of Weymouth, which saw the bulk of the rain and flooding while commuters faced delays as highways and streets south of Boston flooded.
