Information, resources, links

July 19, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti

As the week continues, volunteer teams will be deployed to specific homes, businesses, individuals needing a variety of tasks and assistance with flood response and recovery.

The coordination team is working at the municipal building in the Steele Meeting Room where volunteers check in for assignments daily. They urge those needing help with anything flood-related to use the online form to make a request. They also ask that those who would like to volunteer use the same form.

Everyone who signs up will receive daily updates by email with instructions. To contact the team, use this email address: waterburyhelp@gmail.com or this phone number: 802-585-1152 (leave a message with a call-back number). They ask that volunteers be 18 or older, dress appropriately for messy work including using a mask. More instructions are provided in the daily emails.

In addition to volunteering in person, some supplies are in high demand such as fans and dehumidifiers. Anyone with items to lend can drop off at the town offices or use the online form to inquire if they have an item that could be helpful.

Flood resources

Flood-related resources are available online in several places:

At the top of the Town of Waterbury website home page waterburyvt.com, there is a banner with helpful links including to a page with resource information with the form for people to fill out to both ask for assistance with a specific need and for those interested in volunteering to sign up.

The Times-Argus has a large Resource Guide for Central Vermonters | 211 | timesargus.com.

Food this week

Waterbury Rotary Club is coordinating meals for residents and volunteers working in the flood zones. For the remainder of this week:

Wednesday: Rotary volunteers will distribute pizza from Zachary’s for lunch

Thursday: Maxi’s is providing sandwiches that will be distributed. Craft Beer Cellar will be firing up a grill for burgers and hot dogs, weather permitting.

Friday: Blackback Pub sandwiches will be distributed.

Contact at Rotary regarding meals: Tori Taravella, vtaravella1@gmail.com.

The Waterbury Area Food Shelf is available to all local residents who need emergency food. Hours are Wednesday 3-5 p.m., Mondays and Fridays 10 a.m. to noon; 57 South Main Street; (802) 595-4280.

Below are the latest flood updates. If you have an item for this list or a revision to share, email waterburyroundabout@gmail.com.

Road Closures

Waterbury: All roads in Waterbury are open as of Thursday.

Elm Street-Randall Street: One-way traffic entering on Elm and exiting Randall onto Park Row.

FEMA Flood Claims for residents and businesses

There are multiple sources for assistance for individuals and businesses who have sustained losses. A key one is to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Details on information needed for applications are on the town resource document. Start by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.

Volunteers are available to assist people with assembling these applications from taking photos to scanning documents, etc. They will be at the Waterbury Public Library through Saturday, Aug. 12. The volunteers are not affiliated with FEMA - they’re just local residents who can assist in navigating the system. The deadline for starting your FEMA application is Aug.14.

Hours at the library for FEMA help are Monday through Wednesday, 4-8 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 1-5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If those times are not convenient, volunteers can meet with people at the Brain Injury Alliance of Vermont offices at 1 Derby Lane, Suite 2, in Waterbury (Near the Irving station along River Road) by appointment only. Email support@biavt.org to set up an appointment.

Individual financial and food assistance is available from the Good Neighbor Fund. The fund can help with immediate needs such as rental assistance, temporary lodging costs, home repairs, replacement of personal property such as appliances, moving or storage expenses, cleaning, losses of personal medical equipment. A longer list is on the town resource document. Call or text Rev. Peter Plagge at 802-560-4667 for inquiries and requests.

Lost and Found

A spot in the rear of the open lot at 51 South Main Street has been designated for Lost and Found items such as trash cans, lawn furniture, steps, etc. that may have been relocated during the flooding.

Bring found items to 51 S. Main or visit here to find your lost items.

Note: This is for larger household items, not for valuables!

Trash

Casella trash containers have been placed in neighborhoods where flood cleanup is under way: Randall and Elm streets, Main Street by Waterbury Sports and by Waterbury Medical, U.S. Route 2 by the former Cider House restaurant and O’Hear Court.

Residents should use the containers for trash. Do not put hazardous materials in them such as cleaners, pesticides or paints. No tires. No appliances or electronics.

Residents not near the containers should continue to pile up debris curbside for removal by volunteers with trucks.

Appliances: A metal recycling container for appliances is at the end of Randall Street in the State Office Complex lot (former Stanley-Wasson Hall location). Volunteers with trucks are assisting with moving appliances to the container.

Tips on flood cleanup and trash from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources can be found here.

Water / Wastewater

Municipal water has been unaffected and remains fine to drink. Wastewater levels are returning to normal and utility operators appreciate customers’ efforts to reduce use by limiting showers, laundry, flushes.

Wi-Fi

Xfinity WiFi Hotspots are available for free for all Vermonters to use – even if they are not Xfinity Internet customers. Find locations on this map: Xfinity.com/wifi. To connect, look for “xfinitywifi” on a device list of available networks and launch a browser. Sign-in options will appear for both Xfinity customers and non-customers. Xfinity customers may sign in with their account info or download the Xfinity WiFi Hotspots app and sign in. Non-Xfinity Internet customers should look for the “Get Connected” section, agree to the Terms and Conditions, and get connected. Non-customers can renew their free sessions every two hours.

*Outside Craft Beer Cellar, July 14. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti*

CLOSURES & CANCELLATIONS

The Waterbury Farmers Market and the Rotary Concert in the Park are planning to be back on this Thursday, weather permitting. Watch Facebook pages for the Waterbury Farmers Market and Waterbury Rotary Club.

In general, know that businesses may not be open or may not have regular hours right now. We will list closures as we become aware of them.

In addition, Waterbury Economic Development Director Mark Pomilio Jr. is collecting information to share with business owners as they respond and recover from this disaster. Updates will go in the Revitalizing Waterbury business newsletter that’s posted on the Revitalizing Waterbury website and emailed to anyone who signs up for the distribution list.

Prohibition Pig Pub and Brewery - closed until further notice
Red Poppy Cakery - closed until further notice
Vermont State Parks - Little River State Park is open. Waterbury Center Day Use Park and its remote camping sites are CLOSED with a target reopening date of Saturday, July 22. Check for updates online at vtstateparks.com.
Waterbury Conservation Commission - July 11 meeting with a presentation about the Community Values mapping project is postponed to Aug. 8.
Waterbury Flea Market - closed until further notice
Waterbury Sports - closed until further notice
Wine Vault - closed until further notice

Where to donate

The Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund is a local fund run by the parent nonprofit that also oversees the Waterbury Area Food Shelf. It can accept donations by check or online via PayPal to help community members in need after the flood. It is providing funds to individuals for a wide variety of emergency expenses such as storage units, replacing appliances, temporary housing expenses. (See the list on the town resource document.) Instructions on donating are online at waterburycast.org.

The Rotary Club of Waterbury is coordinating meals for local residents both affected by flooding and those volunteering with cleanup. It has started a special collection called the Flood Food Fund to help pay for the community lunches and dinners that are giving hard-hit residents and businesses and volunteers a break. The Waterbury Area Food Shelf is also a resource to ensure everyone has meals covered. Links go to their websites where you can find donation information for both of these nonprofits.

In addition, Stowe Street Cafe in a week has passed along $5,000 each to Rotary and the Good Neighbor Fund through its Pay It Forward program where customers donate in person at the cafe, on the cafe’s online ordering menu, or just via Venmo @stowestreetcafe. Read more about that here.

The Vermont Main Street Flood Recovery Fund has been created to raise money to provide grants to Vermont's small business owners impacted by the July 10 flooding. The fund will provide grants of $2,500-$10,000 to cover costs for equipment replacement, supplies and help with clean-up, etc. By partnering with Capstone Community Action, it ensures that donations are tax-deductible and are being distributed responsibly. Read more and donate here. Applications for businesses will be available starting next week.

From the Vermont Community Foundation: The VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund 2023 has been established to support Vermonters in responding to and recovering from the catastrophic rainfall across Vermont in 2023. When a disaster strikes, we all feel the impact and look for ways to offer help. The Vermont Community Foundation helps coordinate philanthropic response after disasters.

Flood Update: Weds. July 19