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Much of Vermont under flood watch today |
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
By CHRISTOPHER ROY
Express Staff Writer
The National Weather Service in Burlington placed much of Vermont under a flood watch until late today, a press released issued Wednesday stated.
Usually a watch can be narrowed down to a certain area, but today’s
storm is going to cover much of the state, said Emergency Management
spokesperson Mark Bosma.
“We don’t know were the worse problems are going to be,” he said.
Jason Neilson, a forecaster from the NWS, said the state could receive
two to four inches of rain in some areas but as much as five inches in
others.
“There are no warnings at this time,” he said, adding there has been a
lot of different watches this past summer. “We’ve had some flash flood
warnings because one storm would drop a lot of rain in certain areas.”
The state’s waterways weren’t significantly high as of Wednesday
afternoon, however, there could be some flooding caused by runoffs from
groundwater, said Neilson.
Neilson says that everyone should watch waterways and be prepared to
evacuate if water levels get too high. He also said property owners
should clear obstructions in culverts or storm drains.
“Any number of things could happen, because of the ground saturation,
especially up north where a lot of trees were knocked down last week,”
said Bosma.
Neilson and Bosma both stressed that motorists and pedestrians should not attempt to drive over water-covered roads.
“If you can’t see the bottom, the road may not be there,” said Neilson,
noting that as little six inches can make a car float down stream.
VEM said in a statement that “High winds could also be part of the
storm, which could lead to some power outages. Those people with
special needs are encouraged to contact their power company to alert
them to those needs. If using a generator during a power outage, make
sure it is properly installed and is operating outside. A poorly
ventilated generator can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning which could
result in serious illness or death. Consult your owner’s manual for
proper installation and operating instructions.”
Neilson said there have been several weather systems that brought a lot
of rain to much of the state this summer and that is expected to last
until next week.
(see “Flood Tips” on page 2)
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Last Updated ( Monday, 28 July 2008 )
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