Floods in US Northeast forecast to bring $5 billion in damages

The flooding across the Northeast that left one woman dead in New York, closed rail lines and devastated Vermont could bring as much as $5 billion in losses, according to one estimate.

The record rains that swept from New Jersey to Vermont since Sunday will likely cause $3 billion to $5 billion in direct storm damage, as well as economic losses, commercial-forecaster AccuWeather Inc. said in a statement.

The storms forced many, particularly in Vermont, to flee their homes and closed roads throughout New York and New England. Rail lines were halted and more than 2,700 flights have been canceled since Sunday, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service.

A widespread area of Vermont received up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain since Monday, with the town of Plymouth getting more than 9 inches, said Zack Taylor, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. “That seems to be the worst of it looking over the last 24-hour totals,” Taylor said. “It was a pretty high-impact event.”

President Joe Biden on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Vermont.

In New York, the Metro North commuter railroad has had to close at least one line and is running limited service on its Hudson Line between Grand Central Station and Peekskill, with buses providing trips between Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie. Amtrak, the federal passenger carrier, also suspended trips between Albany and New York City through at least Tuesday.

CSX, a freight hauler, told customers to expect delays of up to 24 hours because of flooding in New York.

Flood warnings and watches remain in some parts of Upstate New York around Lake Champlain, as well as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Taylor said the storm will start to wind down through the day Tuesday as it moves into Quebec, where rainfall alerts have been issued for some parts by Environment and Climate Change Canada.