Flood Recovery Update | Thurs. Dec. 7
December 8, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout Waterbury-area long-term recovery group launches website
In response to the ongoing needs of individuals and businesses in and around Waterbury as they recover from the summer floods, the long-term recovery group CReW was formed this fall.
Sponsored by Revitalizing Waterbury, the committee is named Community Resilience for the Waterbury Area (CReW) and its mission is to help community members rebuild. The group is seeking to provide direct support, technical assistance and financial resources to those impacted by the summer flood.
As part of that effort, the group has launched a website at thecrewvt.org.
The site has a form to request assistance. CReW is working to help those who need support rebuilding, finding additional funds for fixing their homes, and figuring out their options. Anyone who needs a hand with these tasks should send an email to waterburyhelp@gmail.com to get started.
The site also notes that there is a need in the community for housing to assist those whose homes are not yet repaired for winter conditions. Donations are being collected through the Waterbury Relief Fund set up by Revitalizing Waterbury. A link to it is on the CReW site.
CReW also is seeking volunteers to help with rebuilding and supporting folks who need assistance. Sign up on the website.
Finally, the committee is looking to hire an outreach coordinator. This is a paid position that will involve a number of responsibilities such as working individually with community members needing assistance with insurance or FEMA paperwork, recruiting and assigning volunteers to specific projects and record-keeping. The full job description and application details are online here.
CReW Committee members are from Waterbury, Duxbury and Moretown: Bill Shepeluk, chair; Liz Schlegel, vice chair; Judi Daley, treasurer; Nora Miller, secretary; Tom Drake, Matt Larsen, Mame McKee, Janet Simpson, Victoria Taravella and Tessa Yip
Free flood-recovery legal clinics to continue monthly
Free legal-advice clinics for individuals and business owners still contending with summer flood-related issues will continue monthly through an effort by Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Legal Services Vermont.
This effort began in September with several clinics hosted by the law school’s Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Environmental Justice Clinic. In October, Legal Services Vermont’s flood disaster legal assistance team joined. Between the two organizations, they have hosted six clinics to date in areas severely impacted by the floods including Barre, Hardwick, Ludlow and South Royalton.
Given ongoing demand for the assistance, the clinics will continue monthly rotating on a schedule with stops in Barre, Ludlow, Waterbury, and Hardwick.
Nicole Killoran, director of the Entrepreneurial Legal Laboratory at Vermont Law and Graduate School, said the sessions have assisted nearly 30 businesses in navigating the legal landscape during their recovery. “These clinics have become powerful touchpoints for Vermonters working to recover and rebuild, and we’re looking forward to continuing the work we’ve started,” she said.
The first round of clinics focused on needs during the initial recovery period such as answering questions regarding FEMA and/or Small Business Association applications, requests for reasonable accommodations for late FEMA and SBA applications due to disability, unemployment insurance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance. The next phase of the clinics will focus on long-term relief efforts including FEMA appeals, landlord-tenant assistance, and other ongoing legal challenges of flood recovery.
The scheduled dates so far are:
Barre on Dec. 14 at the Aldrich Public Library, from 2-5:45 p.m.
Ludlow on Jan. 11 at the Fletcher Memorial Library, 1:45-5 p.m.
Waterbury on Feb. 8 at the Waterbury Public Library, 1:45-5 p.m.
Hardwick on March 14 at the Hardwick Memorial Building, 2-6 p.m.
Individuals should come to the clinic with information pertaining to the issues they need assistance with. It is helpful to have:
Pictures from before and after the flood if possible
Receipts from repairs, replacement items and lodging if they were displaced by flooding
Insurance information, including a reply or settlement from insurance after a claim was submitted
Household income information
Any documents sent to or received from FEMA or the SBA
Log-in information for FEMA Disaster Relief account (if you have one)
Any additional notes about damages, losses and impacts from flooding
This assistance is free and no appointments are needed. The effort is serving as a needed support for those recovering from flood damage and an opportunity for Vermont Law and Graduate School to foster practical legal education and community engagement.