Mad River ice jam still stuck
By Yunier Martinez
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MORETOWN, Vermont (WPTZ) — Massive sheets of ice, some the size of cars, have jammed up the Mad River in Moretown, creating a scene that looks almost like the Arctic.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Vermont, as ice jams over the weekend and into Monday have kept residents and town officials on high alert.
Kristina Bisbee, a Moretown resident who has lived along the river for five years, described the sight and sound of the ice as unsettling. “It’s pretty frightening,” she said. “Not just the sight, it’s the sound, the groaning and the intensity of it.”
Moretown Emergency Management Director Stefan Pratt has been monitoring the ice closely, checking conditions every two hours.
Overnight Monday, part of the ice jam broke free upstream but quickly got stuck again about a quarter of a mile downstream.
“There’s not a lot you can do because the water level could rise up and it could wash everything away, or it could just continue to be where it’s at,” said Pratt.
Over in Waitsfield, the ice jam from Sunday has cleared, but officials are urging residents to stay away from the river because conditions remain unpredictable.
“It may look solid, but underneath, you don’t know what’s there. So keep your distance from the river,” said Fred Messer, Waitsfield Emergency Management director.
The focus now is on the weather forecast, as the Mad River Valley is expected to receive rainfall later this week.
If it doesn’t, Moretown officials said heavy machinery could be required to break up the jam, a costly step.
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