Tragically, Vermont has reported its first known fatality from the devastating flooding that occurred this week.

A 63-year-old man from Barre, Vermont, named Stephen Davoll, lost his life in a drowning incident, marking a somber outcome of the catastrophic floods.

State officials continue to emphasize the importance of remaining cautious and vigilant, even as the floodwaters recede, Yahoo News reported.

According to the Vermont Emergency Management agency, Davoll passed away on Wednesday due to a “drowning accident” near Montpelier, the capital city heavily impacted by the flooding.

Beverly Frost, Davoll’s wife of two decades, shared with Yahoo News that they had cut their vacation short upon hearing about the flooding and returned home around 3:30 a.m., finding their basement flooded.

Davoll immediately began working on the sump pump to address the flooding.

After resting upstairs for a few hours, he went back downstairs, as Frost recounted. When she woke up, she couldn’t locate him and began searching the house anxiously.

To her horror, she discovered him facedown in water in the hole surrounding the sump pump. She was unable to pull him out, and the situation was deeply distressing.

Frost revealed that the medical examiner suggested Davoll may have suffered a head injury and became trapped in what was described to her as a “freak accident.”

Davoll is survived by his wife, four sisters, two brothers, a daughter, two stepsons, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Frost fondly described him as a beloved individual, cherished by everyone around him.

Written by staff