Flood Recovery

July 10 Flood Recovery

Vermont had a large flooding event recently and has ongoing response and recovery operations.

The Governor has declared a state of emergency due to the recent storms.

People, organizations and towns should document damage before any repairs through photos. Keep copies of all invoices and receipts, and report damage promptly.

TRORC has compiled a shortlist of helpful resources below. For a comprehensive list of resources, please visit Vermont.gov/flood.

For Towns

Towns can report damages to the state through TRORC. We will reach out to you, but if you do not hear from us, please contact our office (802-457-3188). We will relay information to the state.

TRORC works closely with the Vermont Agency of Transportation district offices to assist towns in repairing transportation infrastructure. You may call them directly, or we will relay your information to them.

Any recovery work in or next to streams needs to be coordinated with your respective river engineer and you can find their regular and emergency permitting here.  

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns has released a flyer on the current flood response and a series of helpful links and tips for towns.

The Vermont Municipal Flood Guide was created to assist all types of Vermont town officials, boards, staff, volunteers and others, with considerations and resources related to flooding disasters. 

For Individuals

Vermonters have up to 60 days from July 14 to register with FEMA for Individual Assistance. These funds are for personal needs and are available to full-time residents, both renters and owners. For business needs, please scroll down on this page.

To get started, individuals should call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), visit DisasterAssistance.gov, or download the FEMA App. Those who use a relay service should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service. Follow this link for FEMA in non-English languages.

Individuals should also call 2-1-1, or even better, use their report form to report damage. This system is separate from FEMA and helps the state focus its recovery efforts.

Use these links to be informed about what FEMA does and doesn’t do, as well as answers to common rumors about what aid FEMA provides.

Individuals doing cleanup at their home face a variety of safety hazards. The Vermont Department of Health has a wealth of information on flood safety and we have more links below. Special items of concern are if your furnace or electrical panel were flooded, any wells that went underwater, mold, mud, and if you have spills from overturned fuel tanks in your home.

All TRORC towns have flood regulations, and you should check with your local flood official to see if your repairs to your home or site require a local flood permit. Any work done on streambanks may also need a state permit.

If your home was seriously damaged or is at risk, you may want to consider a buyout. Even if you are not sure, please fill out this intake form. To learn more about buyouts, watch this video. Grant funding may be available through Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to cover 100% of the project cost for the voluntary purchase of properties at risk from flooding. If a property was damaged during the July 2023 flooding event, VEM may be able to fund the purchase the property at the appraised value the day before the storm. If any federal funding was received following damages from this event (e.g., flood insurance payments or Individual Assistance), property owners need to save all receipts showing that funding was used for repairs.

If a property was not damaged during this event but is at risk from flooding, VEM may be able to fund the purchase of the property at a current-market appraised value.

Key Resources

For Businesses

There are two major types of disaster assistance loans available to businesses: Physical Damage and Economic Injury. For more information, please see this factsheet from the U.S. Small Businesses Administration. 

The VT Department of Economic Development (DED) has launched the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program for businesses and not-for-profit entities that sustained physical damage in the flood to reopen and bring their employees back to work. This $20 million grant program will help businesses pay for net uncovered damage (i.e. after insurance, grants, donations, etc.).

  • Businesses with less than $1 million in net uncovered damage, including agricultural operations, will be eligible for a grant of 20% of the net documented uncovered damage up to a maximum of $20,000. For properties that sustained more than $1 million of damage, award amounts vary based on the number of full-time employees affected. 
  • Physical losses and damage can include physical space and/or replacements of inventory, machinery, equipment, and supplies. 
    • Business should collect photographs, insurance adjuster damage assessments, estimates for repairs to physical structures, tax returns, equipment, inventory, or supply purchases, actual paid expenses and other documents as requested.

For Agriculture