US storms: ‘All hands on deck’ as floods lash US northeast

More than 13 million people in the northeastern US are under flood alerts as a deadly storm that has already caused widespread damage flooded the region.

Flash flooding from excessive rain is expected across New England through Tuesday morning with Vermont facing the highest risk, forecasters said.

Officials are warning parts of Vermont to prepare for “catastrophic” flooding on levels not seen since 2011.

The governor of the state of New York declared a state of emergency in two counties.

Flood watches will also remain in place until Tuesday afternoon for parts of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut.

A woman in her 30s died in New York state as floodwaters swept through streets on Sunday.

He tried to flee his house with his dog for safety.

“He was crossing with a pet and lost his footing and unfortunately drifted down a ravine,” an Orange County, New York official told NBC News.

Heavier rain is forecast for far northeastern New York state and parts of northern Vermont.

“Dangerous flooding in these areas is forecast to continue or worsen overnight, with impacts ranging from flash flooding to river flooding,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday.

The NWS warned much of Vermont to be on the lookout for “devastating flooding not seen in this part of the country since 2011”.

Flooding has already occurred in the state of New England, making many areas inaccessible. US media reported that people were forced to travel by boats, and churches were turned into shelters.

Crews from North Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut joined the Vermont rescue effort.

They are trying to reach towns like Londonderry and Weston that have been cut off by floods.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck response,” Vermont Governor Phil Scott said at a press conference Monday.

“We haven’t seen rainfall like this since Irene, and in some places, it’s more than that.”

In 2011 Tropical Storm Irene killed six people in Vermont.

In another news conference on Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the storm had sent “cars spinning on our streets”.

“The amount of water is amazing,” he said.

The aptly named town of Stormville, 50 miles (80 km) northeast of New York City, saw 8in (20 cm) of rain from Sunday to Monday.

Governor Hochul said people are missing and a state of emergency has been declared for both counties.

Homes, businesses and roads were severely damaged in Orange County.

At the US military’s West Point academy, nearly 7 inches of rain fell in just three hours. The US media described it as a one-in-1,000 year rain event for that area.

The military academy wrote in a Facebook post on Monday that “West Point remains in Code Red”.

The NWS says the storm may not leave the region until early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 flights at New York airports were canceled due to the weather.

Amtrak suspended train services between New York City and Albany after flooding damaged tracks.

Many factors contribute to flooding, but the warming of the atmosphere due to climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.

Extreme heat is forecast for the southwestern US this week, including Arizona, where the NWS says conditions will “rival some of the most intense heat waves ever seen in this area”.