Farr's Field just outside Waterbury on Monday morning. VermontBiz photo.
Vermont Business Magazine The water is receding in much of Vermont after powerful rains and snowmelt led to flooding on December 18th and 19th. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) has focused on outreach to our regional partners to hear more about the impact of the flooding, both to our downtowns and within the business community. Though it appears the storm impacts were not as severe as the July flood, damage is more widespread across the state.
ACCD will remain in close contact with our regional partners and the business community to assess what recovery needs exist and work in conjunction with Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to provide what support we can in the days ahead.
Right now, the best thing Vermonters can do is support clean up efforts. Those who can volunteer their time, please do in support of your local community. Much like the flooding in July, it is best to document everything with pictures and notes of all damage you encounter as you clean up and keep all receipts for all incurred costs. It will be important to have this documentation for your insurance company or in the event the state receives a federal disaster declaration.
It is unknown at this time if this storm will meet the damage threshold for a federal disaster declaration. VEM will continue to assess damage in the days ahead.
To support this damage assessment, you can report storm damage to Vermont211.org. On that page you will find links to a “Resident Form” and a “Business Form”.
If you are unable to access the internet, you can call 2-1-1, but online reporting is preferred at this time. Again, the primary use of this information will be in the assessment of the scope of flood damage statewide.
We realize how devastating another flooding event is to already vulnerable communities and businesses who suffered so greatly just a few months ago. ACCD is committed to supporting continued recovery efforts and will provide updates via this newsletter as they are available.
Source: 12.19.2023. Agency of Commerce and Community Development
