MONTPELIER, Vt.—President Joe Biden has given the green light to a significant disaster declaration for the severe flooding that impacted northeastern Vermont in late July.
The declaration opens up federal funding to assist communities and individuals in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties in recovering from the damages caused by the storm that occurred from July 29–31, some of which experienced flooding for the second time in three weeks, as announced by Gov. Phil Scott’s office on Friday.
“This marks our third disaster declaration in just over a month and the seventh in 14 months,” Scott stated in a release. “This disaster declaration will provide much-needed financial resources to towns and individuals as they work towards recovering from the impacts of this storm.”
An initial assessment revealed that 85 homes were either destroyed or damaged, and a partial federal evaluation identified over $3.7 million in public infrastructure damage, according to the governor’s office.
Individuals can apply for reimbursement for necessary expenses and critical needs that are not covered by insurance or other forms of assistance, including rental assistance, home repairs, home replacement, lodging, and other expenses, as per Scott’s office. Communities can also seek federal reimbursement for storm response and recovery efforts.
