PLAINFIELD, Vt. (AP) — Owen Bradley has been listening to the flow of the Great Brook outside his historic brick house in Vermont for nearly 40 years. But the sound changed this week as raging waters inched closer, building to a torrent that tore through the back of the building, ripped off the decks and ravaged a nearby apartment building.
“First it was little noises, cracking wood. Eventually it was just monstrous, like a dragon growling. It was just very otherworldly,” he said, describing the crescendo as the cleanup began on Thursday.
Remnants of Hurricane Beryl dumped heavy rain on Vermont, destroying and damaging homes, knocking out bridges, cutting off towns and retraumatizing a state where some people are still awaiting assistance from the last that hit a year ago to the day. More than 100 people were rescued by swift-water teams during the worst of the deluge, and at least two people died, officials said. Dylan Kempton, 33, was riding an all-terrain vehicle late Wednesday when he was swept away by floodwaters in Peacham, Vermont State Police said in a statement.
His body was recovered Thursday morning. John Rice, 73, died when he drove his vehicle through a flooded street Thursday morning in Lyndonville, Police Chief Jack Harris said. The current swept the vehicle off the road and into a hayfield that was submerged under 10 feet (3 meters) of water.
Rice had ignored bystanders’ warnings to turn around, said Lt. Charles Winn of the Vermont State Police. Rice�.