It’s been just over a month since major flooding in Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom. Two weeks later the state was again devastated by heavy rains. Governor Phil Scott emphasized that recovery and cleanup from those storms is still continuing and volunteers are needed.
Scott, a Republican, began by noting that it is easy to forget that some communities and homeowners are still reeling from last month’s flooding, especially if you don’t live in a flood impacted area.
“There are many Vermonters who are still mucking out their homes and trying to figure out how they’ll pay bills, where they’ll live and how to move forward from the devastation they’ve experienced. And towns who couldn’t possibly have foreseen the damage of this magnitude are left wondering how they’ll be able to afford to make repairs. And some are wondering if they’ll be able to make them at all.”
Governor Scott praised those who have already stepped up to help recovery efforts and put out a call for volunteers.
“There are many who have been at this year’s clean up for weeks. Lending a hand, whether it’s for an hour or an entire day, can really make a difference and we need you. Don’t take for granted that someone else will do it.”
Chief Recovery Officer Doug Farnham was appointed following catastrophic flooding in July 2023. He said the state has launched two initiatives to address long-term recovery needs.
“The first is to provide additional case management resources to support the work of long term recovery groups. Second, $5 million of state funds is being deployed through a partnership with the Vermont Bond Bank. We’re meeting with the hardest hit communities to distribute these funds and know that while the $5 million may help with some of the cash flow needs of municipalities it will not be enough to close the gap. So we will continue to work on deploying a second round of lending to keep municipal finances stabilized and ensure that critical work continues to move forward.”
As of Wednesday morning, Scott said the state had yet to receive a response regarding a request for a federal disaster declaration for the July 10th storm.
“We did reach out to the White House to see if there was anything that we should know and if there was anything in the way and they reported back that we should hear something very soon. I think that’s good news.”
Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison acknowledged that there has been confusion about emergency declarations versus the major disaster declaration that has been requested for the July 10th storm to provide federal assistance.
“The emergency declaration allows us to access resources that help respond to the event. That is very different from receiving a major disaster declaration which is something that comes well after a natural disaster.”
A preliminary damage assessment was performed last week to determine if the state qualifies for individual assistance from flooding July 30th.
