The damage from flooding is “extensive,” according to a public safety department update Thursday, with significant damage in central Vermont and in some counties east and west.
Overnight, the primary hazard was flash flooding and some river flooding, officials said, but the flash flooding had mostly been resolved by the Thursday news conference.
River flooding was expected to wind down throughout Thursday except for in the Winooski, Passumpsic and Lamoille rivers, all of which were supposed to crest throughout the day and into the evening.
Video posted of the Winooski River on Thursday shows overwhelming floodwaters barreling downstream.
Waterways are not safe right now, officials said, adding that Vermonters should stay off of the rivers, even as the weather gets hot over the next few days.
Swift water teams in the state have made 118 rescues, including 15 pets, and the one fatality, Mike Kim, the swift water team leader, said Thursday.
Officials are still in “active response move,” Jennifer Morrison, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, said Thursday, adding that there are still active rescues going on in the Lyndonville area
Morrison said they are still carrying out secondary searches in some of the hardest hit areas, including Mooretown, Plainfield, Lyndonville, Barre, Richmond, Bolton and Williamstown.
