Flood Recovery: What Communities and Individuals Should be Doing Now
WATERBURY – As cleanup continues from Friday’s flooding around Vermont there are certain things communities and individuals should keep in mind.
The process of obtaining financial assistance from the federal government from late April and early May flooding is on-going. Vermont completed its part of the process Friday when Governor Peter Shumlin sent a formal request to President Barack Obama for a disaster declaration. The process of approving such a request can take one week to several weeks.
That request did not include damages from Friday’s event. However, Vermont Emergency Management is working with the Governor to submit an addendum to that request to include Friday’s storms. To be approved FEMA must agree that the flooding is part of the same weather pattern that caused previous floods. For example, FEMA must agree that saturated ground conditions are a result of soaking rains over the past month.
If FEMA declines that request Vermont will begin the process of obtaining a separate disaster declaration for this week’s event. Either way, communities and homeowners should follow the steps below in order to start the disaster declaration process.
The process of getting FEMA assistance and what communities should be doing now:
1. Cities and towns should keep close track of all recovery costs, to include:
1. All materials (including fuel for vehicles) to repair roads, bridges, or other public infrastructure and town buildings.
2. Pay for municipal employees who are taking part in the recovery, including overtime costs. This can include office staff working to support those efforts.
3. Cost of contractors used in the recovery.
4. Extra costs incurred by the storm. For instance, if there is a cost associated with closing school above and beyond normal expenses, those may be included.
5. Costs incurred preparing for the storm; that could include overtime paid to staff acting as spotters along rivers.
2. Communities should compile all costs and report them to Vermont Emergency Management.
3. VEM will work with the Agency of Transportation to verify some of the costs.
4. VEM and AOT will then do a joint local/state/FEMA Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA).
If this event is not included in the previous declaration request, Vermont will need to show at least $1-million in new, verified statewide damages suffered this week. Individual counties would then have to meet a pre-established threshold to qualify for a FEMA declaration. That level is total qualified public damages of $3.27 per capita in that county. These are not the only factors involved in receiving a Public Assistance disaster declaration, but the monetary levels are the biggest indicator.
Aid to individuals, private homeowners, business owners, renters, and others is more difficult to come by and Vermont has not qualified for so-called “Individual Assistance” since 2002. However, Individual Assistance was included in the request submitted by Governor Shumlin this week.
Failing an IA declaration, the most likely alternative could be Small Business Administration loans (http://www.sba.gov/taxonomy/term/99). These funds are advertised as below-market interest rate loans used to help individuals recover. They would be made available to homeowners, business owners, some non-profits, and renters to recoup uninsured flood losses.
What homeowners and individuals should be doing now:
1. Ensure your home is safe to return to by having your electrical and heating systems inspected by qualified professionals.
2. Begin cleanup right away. Delay in cleaning up can cause things like mildew to spread and make cleanup more difficult.
3. Contact your insurance company.
4. Keep close records of how much it costs to clean your home and how much of your property has been lost.
5. REPORT ALL DAMAGES/LOSSES AND RECOVERY COSTS VERMONT 211. 211 is working with Emergency Management to collect damage reports for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
www.511vt.com – road closures
www.vem.vermont.gov – links to flooding tips and resources.
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=btv: Northern Vermont River Gauges
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=aly: Southern Vermont River Gauges
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/btv/: Forecasts and warnings from the National Weather Service
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