Rushing water causes damage in Brattleboro, Vt.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- Rushing water did lots of damage in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Roads were washed away in an instant, buildings were dangling and businesses were destroyed.

“It ruined a ton of product…all our sprinklers heads and stuff. This is a fire protection business,” said Bill Austin, Southern Vermont Fire Sprinkler.

Irene dumped five inches of rain in Southern Vermont and turned downtown Brattleboro into a raging river.

Most of the water was gone on Monday but what's left is heartbreaking.

“We left we figured…water. Then we can came back and it’s like, ‘Holy cow!’ I would have taken my vehicles,” said Karen Kaiser.

Karen Kaiser's entire basement was submerged by the flood waters when the Whetstone Brook became a dangerous river right before her eyes.

“Everything is ruined, but we didn't have flood insurance. I had it before but I got rid of it,” said Kaiser.

One building’s foundation was swept away by the fast moving waters and is now condemned.

The town was expecting high winds, but not that much rain.

“We ended up with not as many high winds…but a lot more water and a lot more water damage out of its banks and water in places we’ve never seen water before,” said Brattleboro Town Manager Barbara Sondag.

In Wilmington, Vermont, they are dealing with even more devastation. It is being called an island because roads to the town have washed away. A young girl was swept away on Sunday during the storm and has since died.

(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)