On the two-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, Gov. Peter Shumlin said the state has spent $850 million on recovery efforts.
Shumlin spent Wednesday, the two-year anniversary of the devastating storm that claimed six lives in Vermont, visiting some of the hardest-hit communities.
He was met at a stop in Wilmington by Mark Landry, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a news release.
On the trip, the governor released a final report documenting Vermont’s resurgence. Over the past two years more than $850 million was spent on recovery efforts. This figure includes about $600 million in federal funding, according to the report.
“As this report illustrates, we have a lot to celebrate today,” Shumlin said in the news release. “More than 500 miles of state roads have been repaired, hundreds of bridges replaced or repaired, thousands of Vermonters now safe in flood-resistant housing, and hundreds of businesses reopened.”
The report lists the damage that has been repaired or replaced in Vermont, including:
• 963 culverts;
• 13 isolated communities;
• more than 3,500 damaged homes and businesses;
• more than 20,000 acres of flooded farmland;
• and 17 flooded mobile home parks.
After Tropical Storm Irene, 7,252 households registered with FEMA for individual assistance and more than 500 miles of state roads had to be repaired, according to the report.
Recovery funding comes from a range of sources, including:
• $23.3 million from FEMA through the Individual Assistance Program;
• $17.6 million loaned by Small Business Administration to individuals and families;
• $250,000 provided by Budget Adjustment Act for Disaster Recovery;
• $165 million from the Federal Highway Administration;
• $225.6 million from the FEMA Public Assistance program;
• $39.6 million from HUD in Community Development Block Grant funding.
