For weeks now, officials have pleaded with Vermonters to report their storm-related damage to 211. Doing so could help connect people to resources, they said, but it would also provide the state the data it needed to get additional counties included in July’s federal major disaster declaration — unlocking additional federal aid for individuals in impacted areas.
Since President Joe Biden first issued his disaster declaration, additional counties have indeed been included, for a total of nine. But Addison County, despite a concerted push from state officials, hasn’t thus far made the cut. And according to Gov. Phil Scott’s office, it’s possible that a new round of flooding and landslides Thursday night might not put it over the top.
That’s because, for residents in a particular county to qualify for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the damage sustained locally must take place within the dates the agency defines as the “incident period.”
When Biden first issued his declaration, he referred to “severe storms and flooding beginning on July 7, 2023, and continuing.” FEMA officials haven’t yet “formally notified” the governor’s office when the cutoff will be, according to Jason Maulucci, Gov. Phil Scott’s press secretary.
But it’s “likely,” he said on Friday, that it’ll be set for “a couple of weeks ago.”
“Our assumption is that last night’s damage won’t be in what they determine the original incident period is. But there’s an opportunity for the state to appeal and make its case afterward,” Maulucci said.
Asked if Thursday night’s damage could be counted toward a determination to include Addison County in the disaster declaration, FEMA spokesperson Angelique Smythe wrote in an email that the agency was still “in process” of deciding an end date for the incident period.
Maulucci emphasized that it remains important for Vermonters to continue reporting all damage to 211. That will help the state if it appeals the federal government’s decision, he said, and provide the state’s congressional delegation further ammunition when it lobbies for a supplemental aid package in Washington.
Addison County is included in a separate disaster declaration that will help local governments pay for certain expenses. But it is omitted from the one that allows impacted individuals to receive cash assistance from FEMA for such expenses as home repairs or temporary lodging reimbursements.
Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, who lives in Middlebury, said that while damage in her county back in July hadn’t been as widespread as it was in certain areas, those who had been impacted in the last round were facing devastating situations and feeling “left behind.”
“Just talking to a lot of my constituents who had all the really bad damage in the last round — they were pretty desperate that they weren’t going to get aid just because they just happened to be on the wrong side of a county line,” she said.
