[P]resident Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for Vermont on Tuesday, releasing federal dollars to assist recovery efforts after an October storm.
The storm brought widespread high winds and floodwaters, knocking out power in communities across Vermont.
Mark Bosma, public information officer for Vermont Emergency Management, said “it’s not clear” how much money communities and some utilities in Vermont may get in federal assistance.
The state estimated that public assistance costs would top $4 million from the storm. That doesn’t include Green Mountain Power’s estimated recovery costs of $12 million to $14 million. As a private company, it doesn’t qualify for federal aid.
The declaration allows municipalities, the state and some nonprofits, such as utilities,to tap into federal funding to help with cleanup and repairs in 10 counties. The funding, available on a cost-sharing basis, can also be used for some hazard mitigation, according to the announcement from the White House.
The federal funding will cover 75 percent of the recovery expenses for eligible entities, according to Bosma. He said the state does not know how many applicants there will be.
Gov. Phil Scott requested the federal emergency declaration in November.
In his letter to Trump, Scott quoted an executive with the Vermont Electric Cooperative who said that on the day of the storm, there were at least 1,000 power outages in each county in the state.
“I’ve never seen that before,” the executive said.
