Updated at 11:41 p.m.
MONTPELIER — As a powerful storm engulfed the state on Monday, Vermont’s capital flooded to the first floor of its main streets after several inches of rain overflowed intersecting branches of the Winooski River.
The city issued an emergency health order “closing downtown until at least noon (on Tuesday) while the river recedes,” according to a statement from city manager Bill Fraser, which was tweeted by Mayor Jack McCullough.
“This will allow officials to assess safety risks and begin clean up efforts,” Fraser wrote.
On Monday evening, sirens rang throughout the city and emergency lights flashed through the windows of buildings on State Street. Businesses were closed and residents in lower elevation apartments evacuated to higher ground.
Main, State, Langdon and Elm streets were coated with thick brown water that often smelled of natural gas or sewage. The few people remaining outside either lived at higher ground and were out observing the event, or were wading through the water, carrying laundry and mattresses above the flood line.
“We’re just above the 100-year flood plain, and we’re scared it’s going to be coming in tonight,” said Stella Hovis, a Court Street resident and landlord.
She said that when she saw her backyard flooding, she unplugged everything and told her tenants to be ready for their basement to flood.
Around her on Court Street, an element of nervous tension and uneasy curiosity pervaded among residents who had gathered to survey the damage. At one point, someone set off fireworks; at another time, drums could be heard.
“We’re just going to have to weather this as a family,” said city resident Keith Schumaker, noting that all the locals were essentially trapped due to several impassable roads.
Sean Myers, a resident of East State Street, came down to the intersection with Main Street around 7 p.m. to watch the flooding as the North Branch of the Winooski had overflowed its banks, flooding storefronts. (One shop worker, who declined to speak to a reporter, could be seen frantically moving through a flooded store.)
Myers said he was not worried that the flood would rise to his home — the highest waters had gotten, in the 1920s, were still short of his place. But he worried for others.
“I feel for the businesses,” he said.
Nearby, Paul Somerset took drone footage of the flooding at the intersection. He used to own the barber shop on East State Street, and although he sold it, still lives next door. He had been fighting water in his basement all day, he said — not from the overflowing river, but from water coming down the hill behind his home.
One of his sump pumps broke and he went out to buy another one, but there were none to be found, he said.
“It’s been pretty fierce,” he said. “I haven’t seen it like this for a long time.”
Lt. Nick Bresette and a cadre of other firefighters were blocking cars from the School Street Bridge, and ended up escorting two cars through the knee-deep waters on Main Street. He said it was reminiscent of his experience of Tropical Storm Irene a dozen years ago.
It was also predicted to get worse.
“Right now we’re just trying to evacuate people that are affected by the floodwaters,” he said. “We expect them to rise probably at least a couple more feet over the last couple of hours, going to crest around midnight or 2 a.m.”
As of 10:45 p.m., the Winooski River — which is full at 11 feet and flooded at 15 feet — was recorded at 20.9 feet in Montpelier, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service forecasted that the river would exceed 22.7 feet, blowing through the 2011 crest of 19.05 feet, but not quite as bad as the 1927 record of 27.1 feet.
As of Monday at 8:30 p.m., Green Mountain Power was reporting five outages affecting 12 customers.
