UPDATE 8 p.m.: Two men were down in Cold River in some shallow water doing some digging to prepare for work on the collapsed bridge. Water came up very fast so they went to an island that had formed in the middle of the river, and they became stranded.
They were rescued by helicopter and are fine. They did not need to be transported to the hospital.
The two men were contracted workers for the Vermont
Transportation Agency.
(NECN: Jack Thurston, Vermont) – Jack Thurston reports that two men are currently in the Cold River, but they are in fine condition and have not been injured.
Crews are now working to reach the men with specialized swift water rescue teams and with help from helicopters in the air.
Some ambulances have left the scene.
One ambulance driver told NECN that the two men called to rescuers on the bank and told them that they are okay, but that they are in a precarious position, perhaps stranded on rocks or mounds of soil.
Good news is that the flash floods apparently won’t increase the Irene death toll in Vermont.
The initial rescue call came in that two engineers or workers were fixing a collapsed bridge on route 7, but this is unconfirmed at this time.
A main concern is getting the two men out and to safety as nightfall comes.
We are waiting on a police press conference.
