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Irene brings worst flooding in century to Vermont
AP ^ | 29 Aug 2011 | Dave Gram

Posted on 08/29/2011 6:14:04 PM PDT by Palter

Almost a dozen New England towns were rendered virtual islands Monday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Irene reshaped parts of Vermont and upstate New York, turning placid rivers into raging torrents and some streets into treacherous mud bogs.

Hundreds of roads remained closed, dozens of bridges were gone and entire towns were cut off from assistance in the worst flooding some areas have seen in a century.

A day earlier, Irene dumped up to 11 inches on parts of Vermont and more than 13 inches on some areas of New York — a deluge that quickly overwhelmed waterways, storm sewers and drainage systems. At one point, the floodwaters were rising so fast that Vermont officials feared they might have to take the extraordinary step of flooding the state capital of Montpelier to relieve pressure on a dam.

"We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont," Gov. Peter Shumlin said. "It's just devastating — whole communities under water. ... We're tough folks here in Vermont, but Irene really ... hit us hard."

The destruction was etched across the landscape: highways washed out by fast-moving water, bridges and homes crumpled into heaps of broken planks and streets filled with mud thick enough to stop heavy duty vehicles in their tracks.

The images were much the same in upstate New York, where buildings that had withstood a century of hard winters and spring floods were carried away. The floodwaters upended cars and trucks and sent trees tumbling down rivers like matchsticks.

"We were expecting heavy rains," said Bobbi-Jean Jeun of Clarksville, a rural hamlet near Albany. "We were expecting flooding. We weren't expecting devastation."

(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: bridge; coveredbridge; flooding; hurricane; hurricaneirene; irene; vermont
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Video of Vermont losing one of its covered bridges.


1 posted on 08/29/2011 6:14:14 PM PDT by Palter
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To: Palter

There are some in this forum who think this is no big deal.

To them, floods like this, and living without tap water with a house full of kids and a barn full of animals with no way to get emergency aid if you need it, is no big deal. They go through it all the time and never have a care in the world about it.


2 posted on 08/29/2011 6:18:33 PM PDT by Westbrook
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To: Westbrook

This is the Socialist Republic of Vermont, the government is supposed to provide everything. I wonder what the percentage of people in blue states have emergency kits compared to the number of people in red states.


3 posted on 08/29/2011 6:23:55 PM PDT by conservaterian (Sarah/DeMint '12)
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To: Westbrook

>> There are some in this forum who think this is no big deal.

Doubt it.


4 posted on 08/29/2011 6:24:48 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been Redistributed. Here's your damn Change!)
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To: Palter
My sister and her family left LI to go to my brother's condo in Vermont, thinking it would be better.

Her house is fine, but they are stuck!

5 posted on 08/29/2011 6:26:16 PM PDT by TheWriterTX (Rock you like a Herman Cain 2012)
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To: Palter
Terrible! But this is a conservative site, I am amazes how liberal some of these states that got the worst damage. I truly believe people's prayers kept this from a cat 3 hurricane. I pray for these people now!

I was on Long Island when it came. I was praying in my hotel while ermergency responders set up shop in the lobby. They were so happy that the winds were lower than expected. The Trees were swaying like Flags. I do not understand the rebuke of the media. I saw what I saw. I would rather be over prepared than not at all.

People are out of electricity and then it escalates like this Vermont. Sad!

6 posted on 08/29/2011 6:31:54 PM PDT by johngrace (1 John 4)
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To: Palter

so-o-o sorry!


7 posted on 08/29/2011 6:33:46 PM PDT by ken21 (ruling class dem + rino progressives -- destroying america for 150 years.)
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To: Palter

In northwestern Maine heavy rain isolated the Sugarloaf ski resort.

Two bridges on Hwy 27 are out. One on either side of the entrance road.

One bridge is completely gone. Road between Carrabasset Valley and Stratton will be closed indefinately.


8 posted on 08/29/2011 6:34:23 PM PDT by maine yankee (I got my Governor at 'Marden's')
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To: Palter

Poor native Vermonters. They had their state stolen from them by socialist hippies. Now, this. My mother-in-law lived in Vermont - all of her friends left the state in the last 10-15 years.


9 posted on 08/29/2011 6:34:41 PM PDT by Montanabound
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To: conservaterian

Vermont was always a trusty, warm, conservative, helpful place to live until it was invaded by New York Seventies Throwbacks, Idiots from Boston and other Liberal scumspots with too much money. The pink mafia is the latest import.

The only good news is that maybe God’s event will scare the Depends off of them and their spawn and they will “run away! Run away!’

Let us pray.


10 posted on 08/29/2011 6:36:15 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: TheWriterTX
WOW! That is amazing! I am on Long Island Now! I am leaving tomorrow to Georgia.

My cousin runs a Starvbucks on Long Island. She Had people arguing about the electrical plug outlets to charge there devices. Alot of people with no eletricity. The restaurants were crowded because many did not have electricity Too.

11 posted on 08/29/2011 6:37:15 PM PDT by johngrace (1 John 4)
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To: Westbrook

38 dead. At LEAST 7 Billion dollars in damage. Eastern North Carolina decimated. Vermont Flooded. But hey, it’s no big deal. It’s just a rainstorm. Politics are more important than people’s lives. After all, if NEW YAWK didn’t wash into the ocean, then it’s no big deal for everyone else.


12 posted on 08/29/2011 6:39:33 PM PDT by freedomwarrior998
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To: Gene Eric

> Doubt it.

Keep reading. You’ll see it.

Consider, for example, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2770638/posts?page=20#20


13 posted on 08/29/2011 6:42:42 PM PDT by Westbrook
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To: freedomwarrior998

> Vermont Flooded.

New Hampshire and Maine are flooded, too, but it’s not being reported in the media. We have friends who need a boat to get to and from their house, as well as all their neighbors.

But, it’s no big deal.

It would be nice to see prayers and concern rather than ridicule and scorn, but at least it provides a good way to determine who your friends are.


14 posted on 08/29/2011 6:52:35 PM PDT by Westbrook
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To: Westbrook

Exactly. Shameful.


15 posted on 08/29/2011 6:53:10 PM PDT by Peter from Rutland
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To: Westbrook

You, at least, still have electricity. My elderly 70yr+ parents went 5 weeks with no power, no phone (landline OR cellular) and no water post katrina. They were 150+ miles from the coast. On the ‘clean’ side of Katrina. She went 60m or so to their east. Even IF my elderly dad had had a heart attack there was no way to *get* him to the hospital for a week due to 100+yr old trees down on their road. My parents had a generator, their own well and a wood burning stove for cooking. My mom did needlework in a rocking chair on the front porch during the day and at night they went to bed right after dark. It was 90+ during the day and muggy as all heck after dark. Not unlike conditions in 1900 before all modern convenieces.

Yes, it’s a big deal if you’re not prepared for it or unwilling to accept it as a fact of life.

Until you lose power though, and are affected for more than a week with *no* modern conveniences (which means you won’t be posting to complain about your travails) you aren’t going to get a lot of sympathy from anyone within 100m of the Gulf Coast. Sorry. (Rita, Katrina, Ivan, Ike, etc). It’s a way of life down here. And for the most part, ninth ward notwithstanding, we prepare for these situations.

Until then, use the electricity your computing device is using right now to boil some water. And, in the future, either put solar and/or hand pump on your well, or be prepared to deal with sanitizing the city/county water yourself. Get clorox at the very least, or pool shock and keep it with your prepper stuff. Get board games and books for the kids. And oil burning lamps.

At least the flooding in your neck of the woods didn’t scare up whole nests of poisonous snakes, alligators and fire ants. You *only* have the water and mud and inconvenience. Unlikely you’ll wake up next to a displaced moccasin or rattlesnake. Or lose a pet to displaced fireants.

So, in the nicest voice possible, ‘deal with it’.

Carry on.


16 posted on 08/29/2011 6:56:47 PM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: Palter

We just spent a beautiful week in Vermont the first week of August. It broke my heart to see this bridge go into the river. We took numerous pictures of covered bridges up near Stowe and Jeffersonville, near the Notch.

While I don’t agree with a lot of the liberal policies of the people in Vermont, I know it’s not everyone. We met some really nice conservative people who are just trying to deal with it.

And there is no way anyone should wish some kind of disaster like this upon people. Some people are just mean.


17 posted on 08/29/2011 6:57:32 PM PDT by Paved Paradise
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To: Palter

With a population of 630,000, Vermont is just a big city.


18 posted on 08/29/2011 7:05:57 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Black Agnes

Well said. Need to leave it at that lest I say something that this site will not let me retract.


19 posted on 08/29/2011 7:09:51 PM PDT by lovesdogs
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To: Westbrook

- It would be nice to see prayers and concern rather than ridicule and scorn

May our Lord grant you strength and peace in your time of trials and tribulations. May He bless you 10-fold for trusting in Him even when things get bad. May he watch over and wrap His arms around all of you ... always.

We have room here in WI, and haven’t had any rain lately, so if you need to get away and dry out ... come on over.


20 posted on 08/29/2011 7:11:44 PM PDT by Nonsense Unlimited
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