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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 11 July 2023

Relentless rain floods roads in Northeast, leads to evacuations, rescues

Continued from Front

Some people canoed
their way to the Cavendish
Baptist Church in Vermont,
which had turned into a
shelter. About 30 people
waited it out, some of them
making cookies for firefight-
ers who were working to
evacuate and rescue oth-
ers. “People are doing OK.
It’s just stressful,” shelter vol-
unteer Amanda Gross said.
Vermont Rep. Kelly Pajala
said she and about half
dozen others had to evac-
uate early Monday from a
four-unit apartment build-
ing on the West River in Lon-
donderry.
“The river was at our door-
step,” said Pajala. “We
threw some dry clothes and
our cats into the car and
drove to higher ground.”
The slow-moving storm
reached New England in
the morning after hitting
parts of New York and Con-
necticut on Sunday. Ad-
ditional downpours in the A damaged car lays on a collapsed roadway along Route 32 in the Hudson Valley near Cornwall, N.Y., Monday, July 10, 2023.
Associated Press
region Monday raised the
potential for flash flooding.
One of the worst hit places during a briefing on a mud- Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland Monday, the governor lat- starting to get back from
was New York’s Hudson Val- dy street in Highland Falls. said the recently arrived er tweeted. “We have not the COVID shutdown,” Gel-
ley, where rescuers found “They’re calling this a ‘1,000 new cadets and others at seen rainfall like this since lert said. “To have this hap-
the body of a woman in year event.’” the historic academy on Irene, and in some places, pen right now is painfully
her 30s whose home was “It seems like the worst has the Hudson River were safe, it will surpass even that,” he heartbreaking.”
surrounded by water. The passed in terms of the vol- but that assessing the dam- said. Scott was referring to Cara Philbin, 37, of Ludlow,
force of the flash flooding ume coming down. But age will take time. Tropical Storm Irene in Au- Vermont, was awakened
dislodged boulders, which now our job is to make Atmospheric scientists say gust 2011, when the state by a neighbor early Mon-
rammed into the woman’s sure that the roads and destructive flooding events got 11 inches (28 centim- day and told to clear out
house and damaged part the bridges are passable,” across the globe have eters) of rain in 24 hours. of her second-floor apart-
of its wall, Orange County Hochul said at second this in common: Storms Irene killed six in the state, ment because the parking
Executive Steven Neuhaus briefing in a hard-hit sec- are forming in a warmer washed homes off their lot was already flooded.
told The Associated Press. tion of the Finger Lakes. atmosphere, making ex- foundations and damaged “He told me me, ‘You
Two other people escaped. Still, the governor said she treme rainfall a reality right or destroyed more than 200 need to get out of here ...
“She was trying to get was expanding the state of now. The additional warm- bridges and 500 miles (805 your car is going to float
through (the flooding) emergency to cover other ing that scientists predict kilometers) of highway. away, and I suggest you
with her dog,” Neuhaus areas of the state. is coming will only make Among the buildings flood- do not stay,’” said Philbin.
said, “and she was over- Massachusetts Gov. Mau- it worse. The storm also in- ed Monday was the Wes- The neighbor took her car
whelmed by tidal wave- ra Healey said there have terrupted air and rail trav- ton Playhouse in Weston, keys and moved her car
type waves.” been reports of flooding in el. There were hundreds Vermont, which had been to a higher spot, while she
He said many roads and central and western Mas- of flight cancellations at performing “Buddy -- The called her parents and
bridges were washed out. sachusetts and state emer- Kennedy, LaGuardia and Buddy Holly Story” to sold- then drove to their home to
Officials believed everyone gency management of- Newark airports and more out audiences. ride out the storm, she said.
was accounted for, but ficials have been in touch than 200 canceled at Bos- The Weston Theater Com- Ross Andrews and his wife
they were trying to reach with local authorities. ton’s Logan Airport in the pany’s executive artistic were driving back home to
people to make sure they “Right now things are under last 24 hours, according to director Susanna Gellert Calais, Vermont, on Mon-
were OK. control, though the water is the Flightaware website. said the call was made at day when he saw trucks
Officials say the storm has still accumulating so we’re Amtrak temporarily sus- around 4 a.m. to evacuate parked at a 230-year-old
already wrought tens of mil- going to continue to watch pended service between 11 people associated with dam with crews trying to
lions of dollars in damage. that through the afternoon Albany and New York. the production to higher keep it from failing. There
In New York, Gov. Kathy and the evening,” she said. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott de- ground and another 15 in were trees down every-
Hochul said at a news con- The U.S. Military Academy scribed the race to rescue nearby Ludlow. The three- where.
ference Monday that the at West Point was pounded flooding victims as “an all- floor playhouse, which had “The interstate was closed
storm sent “cars swirling in with more than 8 inches hands-on-deck response” been damaged during right at our exit. Our road
our streets” and dumped a (20.32 centimeters) of rain at a Monday press confer- Irene, was also flooded, was closed right at our
“historic” amount of rain. that sent debris sliding onto ence. Swift water rescue with the dressing room and driveway. We managed to
“Nine inches of rain in this some roads and washed teams had conducted props room under water. thread our way back just in
community,” Hochul said others out. Superintendent more than 10 rescues on “As a theater, we were just the nick of time,” he said.q