Fears mount as Vermont dam inches closer to overflowing

Residents in Vermont’s capital were being warned of a “potentially dangerous situation” Tuesday as a crucial dam inched scarily close to overflowing after the state was pummeled by intense rain overnight.

The Wrightsville Dam just outside Montpelier had just 6 feet of capacity left, Town Manager Bill Fraser said early Tuesday — as he warned there are few evacuation options for residents if disaster strikes.

“This has never happened since the dam was built, so there is no precedent for potential damage,” Fraser said.

Rain in the northern part of Vermont was expected to lessen Tuesday, but more rain was in the forecast for Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

“We have not seen rainfall like this since Irene,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said, referring to Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, which left six people dead in the state.

“This is going on. We’re getting just as much rain, if not more,” he said. “It’s going on for days. That’s my concern. It’s not just the initial damage. It’s the wave, the second wave, and the third wave.”

The storm, which dumped more than 9 inches of rain by Monday night, has already caused catastrophic flash floods in Montpelier at levels not seen in nearly a century.

“Unfortunately, there are very few evacuation options remaining,” Fraser said. “People in at-risk areas may wish to go to upper floors in their houses.”

The city has already asked for swift water rescue crews to be moved into the area to assist when possible, he added.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths tied to the Vermont flooding, according to emergency officials. 

Dozens of roads remain closed, and some towns had become inaccessible because of the flooding.

The National Weather Service still has flash-flood warnings and advisories in place for much of the state.

As of Monday night, search teams had already carried out more than 50 rescues, mainly in the southern and central areas of the state, Vermont Emergency Management said.

The slow-moving storm had reached New England by Tuesday after lashing parts of New York over the weekend.

One of the worst-hit places was the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, where a woman identified by cops as Pamela Nugent, 43, died as she tried to escape her flooded home with her dog in Fort Montgomery on Sunday.

The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed into the woman’s house and damaged part of its wall, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said.

Officials say the storm has already wrought tens of millions of dollars in damage.

With Post wires