The floods triggered by heavy rains in the Northwest of the USA have the authorities worried about the stability of a dam. The Wrightsville Dam in the northeastern state of Vermont has reached its capacity limit and, in the worst case, could collapse, local authorities warned, according to media reports.
US President Joe Biden has meanwhile declared a state of emergency for Vermont. This allows federal funds to be released for relief measures.
“The devastation and flooding we are witnessing throughout Vermont is historic and catastrophic,” Gov. Phil Scott said. The flooding was compared to the effects of Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Vermont’s capital, Montpelier, was particularly hard hit, with much of its center under water. Pictures showed, among other things, kayakers paddling across a flooded road. Meanwhile, the rescue and clean-up work in the flooded areas continues.
A fatality
The death of a woman who died as a result of the exceptionally heavy rainfall was reported in the neighboring state of New York on Monday. The 30-year-old drowned in Orange County trying to escape with her dog from a house surrounded by water, a spokesman for the district said. The region around the Hudson River, which leads to New York City, was particularly affected.
The flooding coincides with a number of other extreme weather phenomena in North America and around the world. Canada is experiencing an unprecedentedly severe forest fire season, with thick clouds of smoke even covering a number of major US cities such as New York and Chicago. In addition, a heat wave is rolling towards the southwest of the USA – temperatures of almost 50 degrees are feared in the city of Phoenix in Arizona. Scientists blame the man-made climate crisis for the increased occurrence of extreme weather conditions.
