BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are moving north, threatening to bring heavy rain. The worst of the storm is now forecast to go to the west of our region, but with Flood Warnings and a Tornado Watch, our region isn’t out of the woods yet.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and other state officials Friday said that while Vermont may no longer be in the eye of the storm, it still could wreak havoc, especially after recent rainfall. To prepare, they requested — and the Biden administration approved — a federal emergency declaration to bring in more resources if necessary. “This allowed us to bring out-of-state resources like swift water teams to help with our response efforts,” Gov. Scott said.
“While Debby is not packing as big of a punch as we anticipated, it will impact us, there will be damage, there will be various types of flooding,” said Vt. Public Safety COmissioner Jennifer Morrison.
Forecasters say the initial batch of rain Thursday night brought 1-2 inches of rain, priming already wet soils for potential flash flooding. There are Flood Warnings and Wind Advisories for much of the state as well as a Tornado Watch for southern areas. Green Mountain Power is urging customers about potential power outages.
Vermont Emergency Management says they are bringing in several swift-water rescue crews from out of state, staging at Knapp State Airport in Berlin. With a constant eye on the forecast, they say the stacked rescue teams will be ready for the worst while hoping for the best.
“We’re continuously scaling up and down, both in our emergency service response but also our shelter response, our emergency operations center personnel, all scalable according to what’s happening,” said Eric Forand with Vermont Emergency Management.
For Vermonters in low-lying areas or near rivers, Forand recommends making an evacuation plan just in case. That means a planned route to higher ground and knowing how to turn off the electricity in the event of an evacuation.
Forand says people should also pack a to-go bag with everything they’d need in a day like a change of clothes, medication, cell phone, and charger. They also recommend having extra food, medications, water, flashlights, and batteries in the house in case people become housebound.
And while we wait for the storm to hit, he recommends people sign up for VT-Alert for updates on evacuations, weather patterns, and more.
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