U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Vermont Monday to assess the flood damage that devastated the state last week.
Citing dramatic images of damage like half of a hotel that floated down a flooded river and train tracks suspended over a ravine after the trestle they had rested on were washed out, Buttigieg reiterated the Biden administration's pledge to urgently help Vermonters rebuild.
"You see just how urgent it is to make sure that these communities get the help that they need," Buttigieg said at a news conference with Gov. Phil Scott after they were briefed by emergency responders.
He noted that it's important to rebuild the infrastructure to be more resilient to extreme weather events brought about by climate change and encouraged Vermont-based agencies to apply for funding under a program dedicated to those efforts.
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The deadly floods brought more than 9 inches of rain to one part of the Green Mountain State, which meteorologists said is a level of precipitation that's expected to happen at least once in a 100 years. The last major flood to hit Vermont was 12 years ago, from Tropical Storm Irene, and Buttigieg tied the short time between the two major storms, both supposedly once-in-a-century events, to climate change.
"Feels like every few weeks we see a new flood, storm, heat wave, drought. It's not lost on me that our skies are hazy because of wildfires," Buttigieg said. "Americans are seeing the results of climate change with our own eyes and dealing with the consequences."
Scott thanked Buttigieg for his words and the "powerful message" that coming to Vermont sends.
"We need every impacted Vermonter to know: We're in this with you through the long road ahead," he said.
Recovery efforts continued Monday in Vermont from the heavy precipitation.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation said 12 state roads remained closed while 12 were partially open to one lane of traffic and 87 have been reopened that were previously closed.
The agency said 211 bridge inspections have been completed in damaged areas and there are four state bridges closed and four town structures closed.
Rail lines throughout Vermont were also damaged, the transportation agency said. The agency said it reopened 57 miles of rail lines, and 64 miles of rail line remained closed.
“Our crews have been working tirelessly all week to repair the damaged state roads and bridges, and to restore the state’s transportation infrastructure for Vermonters and visitors,” Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said.
President Joe Biden on Friday approved Scott’s request for a major disaster declaration to provide federal support. Scott also said late Friday he has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue a disaster designation for the state due to damage to crops.
Farms were hit hard, just after many growers endured a hard freeze in May. It’s expected to “destroy a large share of our produce and livestock feed,” Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts said at a news conference. It was too soon to determine damage costs, he said.
The flooding has already officially been blamed for at least one death: Stephen Davoll, 63, drowned in his home Wednesday in Barre, a central Vermont city of about 8,500 people, according to Vermont Emergency Management spokesman Mark Bosma. He urged people to continue taking extra care as they return to their homes and repair damage.
And Katie Hartnett, a 25-year-old Burlington woman who was reported missing late Friday, was found dead on Saturday in the Huntington River. Police said she might have accidentally fallen in the water.
Vermont State Police began investigating the disappearance of Hartnett after they received a call around 9:23 p.m. Friday about a vehicle that had been parked on the side of Dugway roadway in the town of Richmond for hours. On Saturday, a Vermont Air National Guard helicopter crew located her body in the river.
A preliminary investigation indicates that Hartnett was visiting the river upstream of the Huntington Gorge on Friday afternoon when she slipped and fell into the water.
In another incident, police in Colchester said they received a call on Sunday afternoon after human remains were found floating in the water off Colchester Point Road. There was no immediate word on whether the death was related to last week's flooding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
