In the aftermath of devastating July flooding, Vermont Governor Phil Scott has appointed a Chief Recovery Officer. Agency of Administration deputy secretary Doug Farnham oversaw pandemic recovery and will now coordinate with state and federal agencies on flood recovery. Farnham spoke with WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley about his new role.
We're in a much different position than we were in Irene. We have Vermont Emergency Management. We developed some expertise after Irene. We developed systems and processes. So we've already, I think, come out of the gate pretty well. So what I need to do as a chief recovery officer is help coordinate between, you know especially in the short term, the different agencies that are going to be trying to come up with strategies and ways to help in the short term with people that were impacted. And in the long term, work with municipalities, work with communities, to try to come up with the best mitigation strategies and try to get as much federal assistance as we can to help make those strategies a reality. And then tie those into all of the work that we have lined up for our state fiscal recovery funds, our bipartisan infrastructure law funds, hundreds of millions of dollars of work over the next five years. And we can make those make sense together and we can make those work together to have stronger communities after we're done.
How critical is it to have a point person, that being you, to coordinate all those efforts?
I think it really helps to have someone who knows where to go, how to resolve the issues. You know, no one person can keep all of that in their head. So you need someone that can make those connections and work with people to move the ball forward. We can't be stuck. We can't get stuck on what the perfect future state looks like. We have to tackle this on a case-by-case basis, move forward. Yes, we're going to develop an overall strategy. But we really just want to revitalize our communities. And that takes a lot of different partnerships from the state government, multiple agencies there, local leadership, local organizations, the Regional Planning Commissions, Vermont League of Cities and Towns. We really need one person to help pull those people together.
You, in your previous position, oversaw pandemic recovery. How will that mesh with what you will be doing as what a lot of people call the state's floods czar?
It definitely meshes. There's obviously a public facing element here and much more coordination with the municipalities in recovering from a flood because of the physical damage that we need to remediate as quickly as possible, right. So a lot of it's the same, very similar when I was overseeing CRF, Coronavirus Relief Fund sorry. We would be evaluating what we're doing and making sure if it's a program we could do through FEMA, we did that instead. And making the funds make sense together and stretching those dollars as far as we can I think is very important.
Doug Farnham, you also mentioned Tropical Storm Irene and that Vermont is already out of the gate regarding what was learned there. Back during that time, they also had a Flood Recovery Officer. Have you talked to any of the people that served in that position to get perhaps ideas or thoughts on what they did versus what you see the position now doing?
I'm still definitely having those conversations, gathering that experience. It is invaluable. And, you know, our state government ingrained some of the lessons learned but other things are, you know, things you have to talk through. So I am still having those conversations. But yes, I've had some of them.
What's the thing you're most curious about learning from them?
The thing that that matters the most to me is where do they feel, in hindsight, that they made any missteps or lessons that sunk in for them in their approach to remediating the immediate damage, but also planning for mitigating and reducing flood risk. You know, we don't want to get stuck in analysis paralysis. So I think how they approach that is definitely invaluable. And the partnerships they may have formed, good connections that they might be able to recommend to me to make sure I can engage with the right people and get the right organizations at the table.
That fits into a comment that was in the governor's release where it said you're motivated to do everything you can to accelerate, repair, and reduce risks going forward. Have you formulated any specific ideas at this point on how you can do that?
I don't have a preconceived notion in my head because that balance and that approach needs to be community by community. Each community will have a different blend and will have different hurdles to overcome. So I don't think that I can have a preconceived notion of where that balance is until I'm looking at the specific communities and I’ve talked to those local leaders. In Vermont things don't go well if you don't work with the local communities. You really need to respect that and try to make the revitalized improved community that they want a reality.
How much interaction do you anticipate having with individuals and homeowners and folks like that, that aren't necessarily community leaders or working with state agencies or things like that?
In the short term, we absolutely need to stand up and offer the best level of support that we can and help to help people navigate the system to make sure they get the appropriate FEMA benefits. I do want to set up those systems and I'm definitely always open to speaking with individuals, hearing their experience. I do need to get out there and visit some of the damage sites. So that's definitely I plan to get out there and have those conversations. And then make sure that if people call, they can have a conversation with someone that's going to help them and that it's not just a one-way communication.
Do you know yet how you'll be interacting with the state legislature?
So generally speaking, I've worked in my prior role, I worked with the legislature a fair amount. And I have an extreme level of respect for the balance of, you know, the executive branch and the legislative branch and in our system. So I do like to keep the legislature informed. I do like to work with individual legislators. And I do think it's incredibly important because they're our elected representatives and you know they represent their communities. So we need to keep them in the loop.
Doug, you alluded to this. Have you actually toured any of the flooded areas?
I've toured some of the damaged state buildings, but prior to my appointment, it wasn't in my role. So this has been moving very quickly and I'm definitely going to get out there and tour more of the communities that are damaged.
Doug, the title is actually Chief Recovery Officer, but a lot of people refer to it as the flood czar. What do you make of that?
I think that, you know, it's maybe a fun term for people. But I do think it's not that I am going to have ultimate decision making and, you know, make all these decisions and really crack the whip on people. I'm going to help communities get where they need to get and I'm going to make sure they have the resources they need. I'm a public servant. I'm not a czar and I'm accountable. Right? So I work for the governor and I'm going to do the best I can to bring our communities forward and make them stronger.
Doug Farnham’s appointment as Vermont’s Chief Recovery Officer, announced on August 2nd, was effective immediately.
