Vermont’s U.S. senators, Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, are setting the stage with their fellow lawmakers for a supplemental disaster aid request following last week’s catastrophic flooding across the state.
The two jointly distributed a “Dear Colleague” letter to senators on Wednesday, citing the 9 inches of rain that fell in some parts of the state and high-water marks that rivaled 1927’s historic flood.
“Tragically, some areas devastated by this storm are the very same communities that faced destruction from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, which took over a decade to recover from,” wrote Sanders, an independent, and Welch, a Democrat.
“We know many of you have also experienced significant natural disasters in your states this year and want to give you an update on what we are seeing in Vermont,” they wrote. “Though we do not yet know the full extent of the damage, we will have a long road ahead to rebuild and recover.”
President Joe Biden last week approved a major disaster declaration for Vermont, which currently qualifies Vermonters in six impacted counties — Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor — for individual assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA personnel are on the ground to assess whether additional counties should be included. People applying for help can do so online or by calling 800-621-3362.
But with a growing number of declared disasters it must respond to, the climate crisis is stretching FEMA thin, according to Axios. The agency’s disaster relief fund is set to run out of money in August, just as peak hurricane season gets underway. And while Roll Call reports that both Republicans and Democrats from flood-prone districts are calling for money to replenish the agency’s coffers, such efforts nevertheless face competing priorities in a divided Congress.
“We’ve got to make sure FEMA is fully funded so that what Vermont is entitled to will be available,” Welch said in a phone interview Thursday, adding that he was “quite confident” this would happen.
“Other senators have approached both Senator Sanders and me — Republicans — expressing a willingness to do whatever it takes to make certain that the FEMA relief that should be available to Vermont will be,” he said.
But Vermont’s congressional delegation will also be seeking additional help, Welch said, including by pushing the federal government to act quickly to get aid out the door.
Biden’s disaster declaration also makes individuals and businesses in impacted areas eligible for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. That won’t cut it, Welch said, because people need cash assistance — not more debt.
“I was talking to many of the business owners who were wiped out on State Street in Montpelier; they just can’t handle a loan,” he said. “So it’s (only) a theoretical form of relief.”
Welch said he’d also like to see amplified cash assistance made available to individuals. But he acknowledged that those requests could be much tougher sells.
“It’s one thing to make certain we have the funding that then allows FEMA to distribute the money for programs that have been approved. It’s going to be a tougher challenge to try to modify what that program is,” he said. “But that’s what people need.”
