Tropical Storm Beryl caused significant damage in central and northern Vermont, resulting in at least two fatalities and over 100 rescues. The storm brought heavy rain, flooding homes, damaging infrastructure, and causing power outages.
On Thursday, reporters from VTDigger traveled to various affected towns and cities, including Barre, Plainfield, Lyndon, Moretown, Barnet, Williamstown, and Hinesburg, to cover the storm’s impact on Vermonters.
In Lyndonville, a 73-year-old man named John Rice was swept away by the overflowing Passumpsic River while driving across a flooded street, marking the second known death in the storm. Another fatality occurred in Peacham, where a 33-year-old man named Dylan Kempton drowned after getting caught in floodwaters while driving a UTV.
Photographers and reporters captured the scenes of the flooding across the state, with several towns reporting over 6 inches of rain, and one town reporting 7 inches. Resources were provided for Vermonters affected by the floods, including contact information and advice on what to do and not do.
Many towns were severely affected, with Plainfield’s center being “washed out,” Barre City being hit again before fully recovering from last summer’s floods, and Lyndon residents grappling with the aftermath of the flooding, which was the worst in 20 years. Hundreds of Moretown residents were stranded in their homes, and Barnet, which was spared by last summer’s floods, faced a far worse fate this time.
Barre, Waterbury, Hinesburg, Montpelier, Starksboro, Huntington, Richmond, and Johnson were also affected, with roads washed away, homes and infrastructure imperiled, and businesses and homes coated in mud and debris. In some towns, floodwaters jumped their banks, striking commuter cars and town parks.
Residents shared their experiences of the storm and flooding, and the state is now back in flood-response mode, with officials addressing the latest round of flooding.
