More heavy weather expected Sunday

Floating Bridge still there

by Guy Page

It’s not over.

Vermont will experience hail, rain, thunderstorms, winds of up to 50 MPH, flash flooding, and even a tornado 4-8 pm across most of the state, Gov. Phil Scott said today at his press briefing.

And, another batch of dangerous weather is expected Sunday, Scott and state authorities said.

“Take care of your families and stay out of harm’s way,” Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said.

The intensity of flash flooding tonight is not expected to equal what Vermont experienced Monday and Tuesday, authorities say. 

“It’s going to be a quick moving storm,” Scott said. State workers and 31 private contractors are working today to remove obstructions and shore up banks and roads.

Dam-related flooding not expected – the State of Vermont manages 100 dams,  and officials are paying close attention to three: Wrightsville, East Barre, and Waterbury dams are under active management, monitoring and computer modeling. 

“Right now, it is unlikely we will have water flowing over the spillway at Wrightsville, and we have not had any yet,” Maggie Gendron said.

Brookfield floating bridge not gone – Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn today apologized for misinforming media on the status of Brookfield’s iconic Floating Bridge, which serves a state highway across Sunset Lake. The bridge was not destroyed, but was inverted by the storm. An eyewitness report believed the bridge, mostly hidden from view, was gone, he said.

Understanding that Secretary Flynn has more pressing matters to attend to – like trying to save the state’s roads from further damage in tonight’s big storm – VDC asked Brookfield resident and award-winning journalist Allison Teague to offer a first-person report from the scene. Here’s what she wrote this morning: “The bridge is still in place floating and attached on both sides. On the east or Pond Village side, the water overflowed from both north and south and washed out the road, undermining a house, the Fork House, on the south side. Hippo Park was undamaged. Road crews are working on it and estimate it will reopen by 2 p.m today. It’s not inverted at all…it’s perfectly fine… It was the road that washed away!” More details to come….

Disaster relief proposal to be submitted today – after helicoptering across Vermont with FEMA officials yesterday, Scott announced today his administration will submit its federal disaster relief application today. He wouldn’t speculate on the amount. The Vermont funding share will be 25% or 10%, depending on the amount of the award, Kristen Clouser clarified today.

The current budget contains $15 million in anticipation of paying a local share for federal disaster funding. The state does have a “rainy day fund” it can access if necessary, Scott said.

State transportation garages, Montpelier office buildings closed – At least two Agency of Transportation garages and many State Street, Montpelier office buildings are closed today due to flood damage. The AOT garage on Rte. 302 in Barre is uninhabitable (see photo, above), Sec. Flynn said. In downtown Montpelier, most of the string of state office buildings are closed, although the Department of Agriculture building is believed to be open. The Pavilion and the Dept. of Motor Vehicles building sustained heavy flooding and are closed today, Scott administration officials said.