Gov. Phil Scott has unveiled two new “Vermont Strong” license plate designs that the state will soon sell to help residents impacted by July’s catastrophic flooding.
The plates are a re-do — with a twist — of the limited-edition “I am Vermont Strong” license plates issued after Tropical Storm Irene by Gov. Peter Shumlin.
“We wanted to make sure it was clear that we are all in this together,” Scott told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday morning. “Time and time again Vermonters are showing their willingness to step up to help neighbors and unite for a common cause. That’s why I thought it was important to change ‘I am Vermont Strong’ to ‘We are Vermont Strong.’”
Darn Tough, the Northfield-based sock manufacturer, will also make special socks to raise money for recovery, according to Scott. With those efforts in mind, Vermont will offer a second special license plate which, next to the “We are Vermont Strong” slogan, adds, “Tough too!”
The license plates are not yet for sale, but Scott said he expected them to become available “in the coming weeks.”
While the special Irene plates have become an enduring symbol of Vermont’s recovery, they brought in a modest amount of funds. The state transferred $543,000 to a nonprofit that was set up to help at the time, according to figures provided by Scott’s office.
The Department of Motor Vehicles charged $25 for the original plates. State officials have not yet settled on a price for the new plates.
Manufactured homes
As with Irene, manufactured home communities have once again been hit hard, particularly in Berlin, Johnson and Ludlow. At Tuesday’s press briefing, Josh Hanford, Vermont’s housing commissioner, urged residents whose manufactured homes were impacted to register with 211 and reach out to their town or city governments to get inspectors out to their homes.
A streamlined process enacted after Irene will make it easier for manufactured home residents to obtain condemnation letters if their homes are uninhabitable, Hanford said. That’s key for getting the most money possible from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s individual assistance program.
“I understand that highlighting a process that more efficiently confirms your home is a total loss is hardly something to celebrate,” he said. “But we want folks to get as much assistance and as quickly as possible.”
Hanford also stressed that it was important that manufactured home residents not rush to demolish their homes and remove them from their current sites until they’d received their award from FEMA. Removing a home before the award process is complete could void the grant, he said.
The state is also organizing an effort to demolish and dispose of the manufactured homes so that residents don’t get stuck with the bill, the commissioner added.
“Our goal here is to make this low- or no-cost to homeowners who lost everything. We want them to use their FEMA award to help secure new housing and not pay thousands of dollars to remove their destroyed home,” he said.
Further flood updates
In other announcements at Tuesday’s press conference:
- Officials confirmed that the death of a hiker on the Appalachian Trail is the state’s second flood-related death.
- The application portal for the state’s $20 million “Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program” for flooded businesses opens Thursday. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development is hosting a webinar on the subject Wednesday. More information is available at accd.vermont.gov.
- While man-made debris like appliances or building materials should be removed from rivers and streams, state officials say natural debris should be handled more judiciously, and much of it should be left alone. For additional guidance, Vermonters contemplating stream work should check with the Agency of Natural Resources at 802-828-1115. More information and resources are available at anr.vermont.gov.
- Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said there would be “a large push to get debris to the curb this weekend,” noting it would be “fueled by volunteers.”
According to the latest figures provided by FEMA, 3,907 residents have already applied for individual assistance, and the federal government has approved $8.5 million in direct aid to residents, $7.5 million of which has been disbursed.
Only individuals in the nine counties included in the federal government’s major disaster declaration — Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor — are currently eligible for assistance through FEMA. The state continues to urge residents to report any flood-related damage to 211 in hopes that additional communities, particularly Addison County, will be added to the declaration.
