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Hurricane Irene 2011, Atlantic, Caribbean
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In Massachusetts, damage was greatest in the hill towns and Western Massachusetts as the eye of the storm tracked westward, toward Albany, New York. High winds toppled trees and heavy rain caused widespread flooding of Connecticut River tributaries. The Westfield River rose almost twenty feet in a matter of hours; the Deerfield rose over fifteen feet in the same period. Both rivers reached flood stages not seen since the 1955 and 1938 hurricanes and floods. A public works employee was electrocuted by downed power lines in Southbridge. A dam failure was falsely reported in East Becket, yet 200 people were evacuated as a precaution.
Almost every river and stream in Vermont flooded, resulting in at least two deaths. In Wilmington, the flood level of the Deerfield River east branch reportedly exceeded levels measured during the 1938 New England hurricane.
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