Vermont’s congressional delegation, state and federal disaster officials held a telephone town hall Wednesday evening to answer questions about assistance and the state’s response to recent flooding.
During the first half hour of the town hall, officials provided an overview of flood recovery response across the state. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders hosted the event.
“What this town meeting tonight is designed to do is to get the word out about what you may be entitled to and share some information about the application process. Unfortunately this process can be complicated.”
Some of the information shared during the town hall has come up during Republican Governor Phil Scott’s regular briefings, including the importance of reporting damages. He reiterated that to get federal help accurate damage reports are critical.
“I know there are many in the undeclared counties who need federal help but haven’t yet met the threshold. So if you suffered any damage to your home at all or property, report your damage to 211. And many humble Vermonters have told me I don’t want to take money away from those who really need it. But it’s important to report that damage to 211. Not just for yourself, but because it helps everyone. And remember this is damage to personal property so it includes homes, garages, equipment, vehicles. It’s pretty broad. And this reporting will help FEMA make its determinations about whether a county is eligible for individual assistance.”
Senator Sanders’ office had already received almost 200 questions in advance of the town hall. Those taken during the town hall covered a range of issues from mental health services to crop losses. Only first names were announced. Cindy in Morrisville wanted information about buyouts.
“My husband and I were hit pretty hard by the flood and I was notified that there was a possibility of buyout from the Flood Resilient Communities Fund. But I was told, and I’m just trying to validate that this is true or not, that those applications need to be received by July 31st. That’s not going to give us enough time.”
FEMA Mitigation Division Deputy Director Richard Verville said her best option is to first contact the local emergency management director.
“I know the state of Vermont is soliciting communities for those that are interested in the buyout programs. And there’s a couple of different programs that they’re looking at.”
“It was our town that told us the July 31st date which is what I was trying to confirm,” Cindy clarified.
“There’s no date," noted Verville, "set by FEMA at this time.”
“This is Jennifer Morrison. I’m the Commissioner of Public Safety which is the home of Vermont Emergency Management. I am unaware of that due date. In addition to federal programs, we have a state funded program for flood plain resiliency. So there are multiple opportunities for us to engage with you and gather your information. And I will make a direct connection to the folks at Vermont Emergency Management for her.”
Peggy works for a small paper manufacturing business in North Clarendon that owns a dam that was washed out.
“We had to rebuild the dam at a cost of $100,000 and we lost over $300,000 in production. Is there help to recoup some of that?”
U.S. Small Business Administration District Director Darcy Carter explained that the SBA has no grants available.
“We do have assistance businesses are eligible for and sometimes it’s a matter of piecing together several sources to cover the issue that you’re dealing with. But we would really encourage you to apply.”
First-term Democratic Congresswoman Becca Balint is seeking input from her peers on innovative ways to help.
“One of the things I’ve been doing is reaching out to other members within Congress who have had natural disasters in their districts and been getting insight from them as to where to go looking for additional funds and that has been fruitful and I have been trying to chase down some things that we may not have on our radar screen yet.”
