Twelve years after Tropical Storm Irene wreaked havoc, the state of Vermont is once again facing what governor Phil Scott called “historic and catastrophic” flooding after some areas of the state saw more than seven inches of rain over the last several days.
“What’s different for me is Irene lasted about 24 hours,” Scott said during a Tuesday morning press conference — one he delivered with more rain in the forecast. “This is going on and we’re getting this much rain − if not more − and it’s going on for days. That’s my concern. And it’s not just the initial damage, but it’s the second wave and the third wave.”
That’s a frightening proposition considering some of the images we’ve already seen from the first wave.
Perhaps the lasting, mental image that skiers and riders have of Irene, which dumped up to 11 inches of rain on the state, was that of Killington’s base lodge, crumpled by the flooding. Irene was a storm that, according to VTDigger, “destroyed nearly $750 million in property (a figure equal to almost two-thirds of that year’s state general fund budget) and damaged 200 bridges, 450 utility poles, 600 historic buildings, 1,000 culverts, 2,400 road segments, 3,500 homes and 20,000 acres of farmland.”