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Videos of “Catastrophic” Flooding in Vermont

As someone who had the privilege to attend school in Middlebury, Vermont for four years, I have been deeply saddened and horrified to see the videos coming out of the state today. There have already been 39 confirmed deaths from Hurricane Irene and more than 5.5 million people lost power from North Carolina to Maine. Nowhere has the damage been worse than Vermont though.

There are currently 15 towns in Vermont and New York that have been cut off by the flooding. Damages from the storm could top $7 billion and Vermont officials seriously considered flooding the capital, Montpelier, to save a nearby dam. Officials confirmed that two people died in the waters.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin appeared on Democracy Now! to talk about the unprecedented nature of the storm in Vermont. He said “we are still under siege” from the storm and called the flooding “catastrophic.”

This is the second major disaster as a result of storms. We had storms this spring that flooded our downtowns and put us through many of the same exercises that we’re going through right now. We didn’t used to get weather patterns like this in Vermont. The point is, we in the colder states are going to see the results of climate change first.

Here are some of the most shocking videos posted online. This video shows the normally calm and tranquil little stream in Brattleboro, Vermont turned into a torrent of water. I was there just a couple of months ago.

This video shows a bridge in Rockingham, Vermont being swept away by the water. The covered bridge dated back to 1870.

This video shows the amount of flooding in Grafton. Bridges are being washed out and the town remains out of contact from the rest of the world. According to the video, the rushing water is usually a “tranquil stream.”

Here an empty car is swept down the river in Bennington, Vermont.

This is the view in Chester, Vermont.

This video shows the devastation at the Grafton Cheese Company. Thankfully, the company reports everyone is safe and the cows are okay.

Devastating news from the breweries in the state as well. A photo of Long Trail Brewery completely underwater was posted, though apparently the situation is not completely dire.

The same cannot be said for The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, which was destroyed in the flooding in Waterbury. Having been to The Alchemist, they are truly wonderful people who make amazing beer. I hope this closing is only temporary.

The Flat Street Brew Pub in Brattleboro also appeared to be completely flooded yesterday. No word on the scale of damage. Our thoughts are with Vermont in this difficult time. Consider a donation to the Red Cross.

Tags: Brattleboro, deaths, Devastation, flooding, Grafton, Grafton Cheese, Hurricane, Hurricane Irene, Irene, Long Trail, new york, river, The alchemist, Vermont, Waterbury

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Categories News, Pictures, You Outta Know

Incredible Video and Pictures From London Riots

10 Aug

For the fourth day in a row, a series of violent nighttime riots swept across the United Kingdom last evening. The disturbances turned deadly as three young men in Birmingham were murdered. Haroon Jahan, 21, Abdul Nasir, 31, and Shazad Ali, 30 were protecting their neighborhood from the rioters when a car ran them over. Another man who was assaulted by protesters in Enfield also died last evening, bringing the total deaths in the riots to 5.

Many point to the death of 29-year-old father Mark Duggan as the spark to the riots. According to limited information from the police, Duggan was a passenger in a taxi that was stopped. At some point during the stop, shots rang out and Duggan was fatally wounded. Information about his background remains uncertain, with some people alleging Duggan was tied to a violent gang.

At what should have been a peaceful memorial service to Duggan, violence suddenly erupted and has not stopped since. The Atlantic Wire has an excellent roundup of the various theories about the causes of the riots.

Sky News reporter Mark Stone was on the front line of the riots and actually tried to interview some of the looters who were savaging Clapham Junction.

Look at this unbelievable image as a fire tears through a building in Tottenham.

Fire in Tottenham

One of the most uncomfortable and shocking exchanges occurred on the BBC. Writer and intellectual Darcus Howe was interviewed live on television by presenter Fiona Armstrong. The exchange quickly turned to deeper racial issues in English society. Armstrong at one point asks, “You are not a stranger to riots yourself I understand, are you? You have taken part in them yourself.” Howe responds, “Stop accusing me of being a rioter and have some respect for an old West Indian Negro, because you wanted for me to get abusive. You just sound idiotic – have some respect.” The BBC has since apologized for the interview.

Here is an incredible picture of a woman jumping from a burning building into the arms of rescuers below.

Watch here as rioters attack police officers in Woolwich.

Ben Schoefield tweeted some amazing photographs of the violence in Liverpool, including this amazing picture of his car on fire.

Back to Mark Stone for a short video showing the violence as looters smash windows and try to rip televisions off the walls of some stores.

A horrifying image of a double-deck bus on fire during one of the first nights of the riots.

Finally, there is this moving speech from a West Indian woman in Hackney. She urges the rioters to stop, pointing out that they are destroying the businesses and property of their hard-working neighbors. The speech has explicatives and is NSFW.