"Extremely rough" roads have been reopened to all but one of the communities in Vermont that were devastated by floods after Hurricane Irene passed over New England, the state's Emergency Management agency reports.
Wardsboro, which is still cut off, could be reconnected later today, officials add.
They caution, though, that at this point the roads are "intended for emergency vehicles and National Guard delivery vehicles only. Air operations will still compliment the truck deliveries to ensure the speediest delivery of provisions." As our colleagues at Vermont Public Radio say, crews "punched through" — but much work remains to be done before the roads are truly passable.
The Vermont National Guard, which has been flying its helicopters to stricken areas, is now getting help from the Illinois National Guard, which few a helicopter into the state today.
According to the emergency management agency, "there are currently 12,000 power outages in the state."
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