Torrential rainfall spawned widespread flooding across western New England and parts of New York State on Monday, flooding homes and washing away roads and bridges as people were trapped in vehicles.
In Vermont, where flooding was expected to intensify throughout the day, officials said about 20 people had so far been rescued by boat, with another two dozen evacuated from homes. And at least one person, a woman in her 30s, died in the flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley, authorities said.
As the water receded in some parts of the region, said Steven M. Neuhaus, the county executive in Orange County, NY, the damage to roads and bridges made it difficult for search-and-rescue teams to fan out and check. residents “There are some people who could be carried away,” he said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Here are the details:
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The National Weather Service in Burlington warned of “life-threatening flash flooding” continuing across Vermont on Monday, telling residents not to walk or drive into floodwaters and predicting that another six inches could fall in some areas.
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The downpour has spawned flash flooding in five counties across northern Vermont, where up to three inches of rain has fallen so far, the Weather Service said. In central Vermont, Addison, Orange, Rutland and Windsor counties are at risk of flash flooding through the early afternoon.
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New York’s Hudson Valley bore the brunt of the storm on Sunday, with as much as eight inches of rain recorded in some areas. Parts of the heavily traveled Palisades Interstate Parkway were impassable, and several bridges collapsed. Read more about the flooding in New York over the weekend.
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The person who was killed in the Hudson Valley was trying to evacuate from her home carrying a pet when she lost her footing and was swept into a ravine, said Mr. Neuhaus, the county executive.
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Transport difficulties continued on Monday across the region. Dozens of flights were canceled out of LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York on Monday morning, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. More than 30 flights were also canceled out of Boston Logan International Airport, and Amtrak services were suspended between New York and Albany on Monday.
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Forecasters with the Weather Prediction Center said many areas in central and northern New England received 200 to 300 percent of their normal rainfall over the past 14 days. Streams are already running abnormally fast, with some at record flows.
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The relentless rainfall flooded an area that suffered major flood damage in 2011, when Hurricane Irene surged up the East Coast, washing away infrastructure and homes.
Claire Moses contributed reporting.