Governor Phil Scott has made a formal request to President Joe Biden for a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities in Addison and Rutland counties recover costs for repair of public infrastructure damage caused by rainfall and severe flooding on Aug. 3-5.
“For Addison and Rutland counties, the severe storms and flooding from early August compounded the impacts of July flooding and rainfall, overwhelming state and local resources,” said Scott. “Municipal budgets are stretched thin as towns work to recover from these additional storms, and an another disaster declaration is needed to help address infrastructure damage that is not covered by the July disaster declaration.”
If granted, a federal Major Disaster Declaration unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program funding to reimburse municipalities for 75% of funds already spent on things like debris removal, road and public building repairs, and staff overtime responding to and cleaning up after the storm.
Federal assessors identified more than $1.2 million in program eligible costs incurred by public entities, exceeding the minimum needed for the state to request a declaration.
Because the incident period for the July declaration closed before the August incidents, a separate declaration was necessary, after the threshold was met.
The declaration request also seeks funds from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). That funding can be used to provide 75% reimbursement for projects anywhere in the state that reduce the likelihood of damage to public infrastructure in future disasters.
The request was sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will review and then send to President Biden with a recommendation for a final decision.
