Flood recovery update | Weds. Oct. 25
October 25, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout One week left to apply for FEMA assistance
The Federal Emergency Management Agency reminds Vermonters that the deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 31, to apply for assistance for those affected by summer flood damage.
Officials also have announced that the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Barre will be closed for several days before that deadline. The center is located at Alumni Hall Building, Third Floor, 16 Auditorium Hill, Barre. Hours for the remaining week are:
▪ Open Wednesday., Oct. 25, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ CLOSED Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 26-29
▪ Open Monday, Oct. 30: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ Open Tuesday-Friday, Oct. 31-Nov. 3: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Anyone who experienced storm-related expenses and lives or owns a business in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham or Windsor County, should apply as soon as possible. The cutoff for applications is 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31.
FEMA assistance can provide grants and U.S. Small Business Administration loans for housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses.
To apply, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA App or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply.
To apply in person, visit the Disaster Recovery Center in Barre, where FEMA specialists can answer questions, help upload documents and provide information about available resources. More information is online at fema.gov/disaster/4720.
Free Legal Assistance Clinic Oct. 30 in Barre
Aldrich Public Library is located at 6 Washington St., Barre. Courtesy photo
Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Legal Services Vermont are working together to assist Vermonters affected by the summer floods. They will host a free clinic in Barre on Monday, Oct. 30, with volunteers available to assist with information and answering questions regarding FEMA and/or SBA applications, unemployment insurance, or Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
The goal is to offer this help ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline to submit FEMA and SBA applications for businesses and individuals.
The clinic will provide legal information, answer legal questions, and assist with other paperwork, including communications with landlords or insurance claims for homeowners, renters, and businesses.
The clinic will be held from 2 to 5:45 p.m. on Monday at the Aldrich Library, 6 Washington St., Barre.
Helpful items to bring to the clinic include:
Pictures of before and after flood damage
Receipts from repairs, replacement items, and lodging if you were displaced by flooding
Insurance information, including a reply or settlement from insurance after a claim was submitted
Household income information
Any additional notes about damages, losses and impacts from flooding
This effort aims to serve affected individuals and businesses and reinforces Vermont Law and Graduate School’s mission to foster practical legal education and community engagement.
CReW: Waterbury area long-term recovery effort takes shape
As announced in the Oct. 14 Flood Recovery Update, Waterbury has a new long-term recovery effort organizing to help with ongoing work connected with the summer flooding, rebuilding and future resilience.
Community Resilience for the Waterbury area, which will be known as CReW, will provide one-on-one support, technical assistance, and financial resources to help people rebuild their homes and businesses.
Former town manager and current town Health Officer Bill Shepeluk is chair of the new group, which includes members from Waterbury and Duxbury. They plan to work very closely with local officials and flood recovery and volunteer coordinator Tom Drake, as well as fiscal agent, Revitalizing Waterbury, and other local, regional and state groups.
Shepeluk notes similarities between this new effort and the long-term recovery group that followed Tropical Storm Irene helping homeowners complete their reconstruction efforts in the year or so after that disaster in 2011.
“The previous committee, ReBuild Waterbury, that was created after Tropical Storm Irene was critical to Waterbury’s recovery, and with CReW we intend to provide the same kind of hands-on support to community members and businesses,” Shepeluk said. “We know that our work will be a little different this time around – we need to make smart decisions as we build back from this storm, and build a strong organization to help people start thinking about the next one.”
The volunteer group will focus on needs in Waterbury, Duxbury, Bolton, Moretown and Middlesex. It will build on connections made during the July and August flood response with the goals to provide technical and hands-on assistance for rebuilding and individual support for the human and administrative challenges of flood recovery. One role will be to raise and distribute funds to help close financial gaps. For example, if someone wants to raise their electrical box to their home’s first floor but the cost is too much, CReW can help with a grant.
One key goal will be to build the community’s capacity to prepare and respond to ongoing challenges and disasters, especially by helping property owners move their utilities and heating systems above ground wherever possible. As the official local FEMA-recognized long-term recovery committee, CRew will be able to connect with national volunteer organizations and grant opportunities.
In the near term, CReW will work with Waterbury’s volunteer coordinator Tom Drake to continue canvassing flood-affected areas to understand the ongoing needs and answer questions.
CReW will launch a website soon. For now, community members needing assistance can still use the email waterburyhelp@gmail.com. Those who would like to participate in the volunteer effort to help out may contact CReW organizers at the email info@thecrewvt.org.
Anyone wishing to make a financial contribution to the local recovery effort may direct those to the 2023 Waterbury Relief Fund via Revitalizing Waterbury, P.O. Box 473 Waterbury, VT 05676 or donate online at revitalizingwaterbury.org/2023-waterbury-relief-fund.