It’s been an extremely wet summer so far in New England, as the person writing this article is very annoyed that every weekend, the rain derails any outdoor activity plans of his.
This has happened throughout New England, which has created havoc in mountain communities. On Friday, a portion of U.S. Route 4 in Killington was engulfed by a mudslide. The mudslide occurred in the area of Mission Farm Road, which is nearby the base terminal of the Skyeship Gondola. Twenty feet of debris were spread across the road, and it remains closed due to cleanup efforts. Some were reminded of the scenes from Hurricane Irene back in 2011, which caused severe damage all around Vermont.
East Mountain and Bear Mountain Road, which many use to reach the ski resort, also saw serious damage from Friday’s rainstorm. East Mountain Road, which was repaved a couple of months ago, has been washed out due to the raging waters. Abbey Hosle, who is a local resident, shared these photos of the damage on the Killington Locals+ group.
Here’s what East Mountain Road looked like on Saturday morning. Rain has occurred every day since, so the situation has not gotten better.
Unfortunately, the rain has continued to be an issue through today (Monday, July 10th). Yesterday, Vermont Governor Phil Scott issued a state of emergency. A flash flood warning has been place across Vermont, with multiple inches of rain expected through Tuesday night. The result has been severe flooding in other Vermont mountain towns like Londonderry, Ludlow, and Woodstock. The video below is of the Ottauquechee River in Quechee, Vermont.
Abbey told me that everyone outside of people that live in the residences on East or Bear Mountain should avoid using East Mountain Road for the foreseeable future. Rutland County will likely be dealing with these flooding issues for at least the next couple of weeks due to this cruel summer. If you plan to visit Killington, or Vermont in general, in the near future, check to see if they’re any road closures before you go. For the latest road information, please check out New England 511.
Image/Video Credits: Abbey Hosle (Featured Image), Killington Police Department, Vermont State Police
