Berlin, Vt. – President Joseph Biden has approved Governor Phil Scott’s request for a major disaster declaration for Vermont to assist individuals and communities recover from historic flood from July 7-12, 2023. The approval was given in under 24 hours.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to President Biden and his team at FEMA for their incredibly quick approval of the declaration,” said Governor Scott. “Vermonters are hurting, and federal assistance will be critical as we rebuild and recover. My team is committed to working with federal and local partners to make sure Vermonters get all resources available to them to recover from these catastrophic floods.”

The declaration provides funding under the federal Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs. A Public Assistance disaster declaration allows communities to receive at least 75% reimbursement for emergency storm repairs to public infrastructure. A further declaration for recovery repairs is pending an official Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA)

The Individual Assistance program helps individuals impacted by the disaster seek reimbursement for necessary expenses and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance. Eligible expenses include rental assistance, home repair, home replacement, and lodging, among other expenses. Pending a formal assessment, counties included under this declaration are also pending a PDA.

You can get more information and register at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

Individuals who suffered losses in the storm should continue clean up and repairs, taking photos and documenting expenses. You should also report that damage to Vermont 211, either by dialing 2-1-1 or by visiting vermont211.org. This data informs the disaster assessment and allows FEMA to reach out to applicants directly.

Vermont counties should continue making repairs to public infrastructure, documenting all work carefully for their applications. Eligible reimbursement costs include emergency repair work on public roads, tree and debris removal from public rights of way, municipal employee overtime spent working on the emergency, contractor help, equipment rentals, and other costs associated with the emergency response.

The information obtained will be shared with the Emergency Management Director (Jason Gosselin, 2022) with the Vermont Agency of Human Services for purposes of updating the partners, providing situational awareness, and indicating trends, and may be used to determine if the Federal Individual Assistance declaration threshold has been met.

Dial 211 then selecting option #5 (Community Support). You will be asked the following questions:
First name
Last name
Physical street address
Town
County
Owner or renter?
Best number to be reached at
# of people in residents? & Ages
Any chronic health conditions or mobility issues?
Do you need shelter?
Do you need water?
Did any have any utilities disconnected due to the storm?
Do you have a well or municipal water?
Is the home habitable?
Is there damage to the foundation?
Damage to walls or roof?
Is there mold in the house as a result of this disaster?
Height of water in home, if applicable?
What floors are impacted?
Damage to exterior property and outbuildings?
Are there Chemical spills inside or outside of home as a result of the disaster?
Is your drinking water system impacted as a result of the disaster?
Is the wastewater system damaged as a result of the storm?
Is this a primary or secondary residence?
Is this a multi family dwelling?
Is this a Mobile home?
Do you have homeowners or renters insurance?
Do you have flood insurance?
Do you need volunteer assistance in cleaning up if available?
Do you give permission to share your information with volunteers or case managers to get assistance?
Other things to note specific to your situation?

If you have photos of infrastructure damage – Town roads, Town bridges, and culverts – please email to townadmin@wallingfordvt.com Reminder, Route 140 East, Route 7 and Route 103 are state roads and any damage should be reported to VTrans.

District 3 – Rutland

Christopher Taft, District Transportation Administrator
61 Valley View Suite #2
Mendon, Vermont 05701
Phone: (802) 379-2266
Fax: (802) 786-5894
E-Mail: Christopher.Taft@vermont.gov

First and foremost, if you are currently in a situation that needs immediate support, please reach out to https://vermont211.org/ as that is the most direct way to reach state emergency management officials. Please continue to encourage businesses and individuals in your regions to use Vermont 211 as a first point of contact, and as always, report any emergencies to 9-1-1.

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) is engaged in the response to this storm and supporting emergency officials as needed to keep communities and Vermonters safe. ACCD realizes this storm has impacted many communities in a multitude of ways, with flooding damaging homes and businesses in addition to critical infrastructure.  Right now, the most important thing you can do is stay safe until the storm passes and the waters recede.

State Emergency Management officials will be working with FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration on a disaster declaration which will allow for federal assistance in repairing damage from this storm. As the State shifts from emergency first response to economic and community recovery, ACCD will continue to keep our partners informed and support recovery efforts statewide.  In the days ahead, and when safe to do so, it will be important to document any damage and estimate the cost of damage which will be used to help the state’s disaster declaration criteria.  Again, as we have more information on that process, ACCD will share and engage just as soon as we can.

There is more to come, but for now – please stay safe and please know emergency responders are working hard to respond to this statewide weather event. Thank you for your efforts on the ground to support your local communities.

Lindsay Kurrle, Secretary
Agency of Commerce and Community Development