Updated at 6:08 p.m.
Less than 24 hours after Gov. Phil Scott called on the White House to issue a major disaster declaration, President Joe Biden on Friday morning signed off on the request.
The declaration opens the state up to greater federal resources as Vermont begins to recover from this week’s catastrophic floods.
Following the declaration, Vermonters from six counties can now apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for individual assistance to help cover their flood-related financial losses. (People can apply online or by calling 800-621-3362.)
Not every Vermonter qualifies for individual assistance. The president’s declaration qualified Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties to receive individual assistance. Public funds, though, to conduct vital infrastructure repairs, are available for all 14 counties.
Additionally, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is scheduled to visit the state Monday to survey flood damage to Vermont’s infrastructure, Scott announced at a press conference Friday morning in Berlin.
Buttigieg’s scheduled trip comes after FEMA Adminisrator Deanne Criswell conducted a similar visit to central Vermont on Wednesday. Alongside Scott and other officials, Criswell boarded a helicopter to survey the damage from above and conducted on-the-ground surveys in Barre and Montpelier.
Agriculture assistance sought
More help from federal agencies could be on the way. With countless acres of Vermont fields washed out at the state’s peak crop season, Scott on Friday afternoon formally requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue a federal agricultural disaster declaration to the state. Such declarations open up federal funds specifically to aid farmers after a natural disaster — and are separate from the aid already delivered, or on the way, to Vermont.
Additionally, Vermont’s congressional delegation on Friday directly urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to deploy federal aid to Vermont’s farmers. According to a press release from U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the junior senator, along with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., spoke with Vilsack on the phone Friday afternoon pleading for his office’s aid.
Earlier on Friday, Welch told VTDigger that he hoped to request an official visit from USDA to survey damage in-person, like Buttigieg’s impending tour and Criswell’s earlier this week.
Like much of the damages attributed to this week’s flood, it’s too early to fully assess or even estimate the totality of Vermont farmers’ losses. But this week’s catastrophe came after an already devastating late spring frost decimated fruit crops across the state, and now, “countless fields of corn, hay, vegetables, fruit, and pasture were swamped and buried,” Scott said in a press release Friday.
FEMA on the ground
Biden earlier this week issued a separate disaster declaration for Vermont, which deployed FEMA resources to the state to quickly conduct emergency response work, with the federal government footing 75% of the bill. FEMA has so far delivered emergency drinking water supplies to the state, stationed incident management teams in Berlin and South Burlington, staged two 35-member disaster survivor assistance teams, and deployed one urban search and rescue unit and three task forces to work with local response teams.
According to Commissioner of Public Safety Jen Morrison, 198 FEMA personnel have been deployed to Vermont. She told reporters that 132 are already at work and 66 more were on their way.
Guidance for Vermonters
In addition to these resources, the major disaster declaration Biden issued Friday opens up vastly more federal resources to the state as Vermont transitions from emergency response mode to recovery. Scott requested both public assistance — funds that can be used to help rebuild public infrastructure — and individual assistance, which can be issued to Vermonters who suffered personal losses due to the severe weather event. Vermonters need to individually apply for this aid.
Personal losses can include un- or under-insured flood damage to homes or, in a separate claim, assistance to help cover such costs as medical expenses or lost wages incurred due to the flood.
Sam Harvey, a FEMA representative, said at Friday’s press conference that, following Biden’s signature Friday morning, those who qualify have 30 days to apply for individual assistance. But after publication of this story, FEMA spokesperson Shirley “Jann” Tracey told VTDigger there was no immediate deadline.
That individual aid can include unemployment benefits. According to Harvey and Jason Maulucci, Scott’s spokesperson, FEMA and Vermont’s unemployment office are still coordinating to open up applications for unemployment benefits. Once applications are live, Maulucci said Vermonters can back-date their applications. Vermonters may be eligible if they lost their jobs or cannot get to work due to flood conditions or losses.
Scott told reporters on Friday that he was not aware of an uptick in employment claims this week, but he is sure they will come.
Welch in Waterbury
While surveying damage in Waterbury Friday afternoon, Welch told VTDigger that he is “really pleased” to see how quickly the Biden Administration has acted to help Vermont. However, some federal aid to the state — particularly that for farmers, through USDA — may require congressional spending approval.
Based on his conversations with colleagues this week, Welch said he’s optimistic that Congress can, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, agree to lend a helping hand.
“My sense is that, where it’s a natural disaster, it kind of strips away the politics of it,” Welch said. “Everyone knows their state could be affected in the future. Many of the states have been affected already, and Vermonters, we have always in Congress supported emergency relief for Louisiana, for (Hurricane) Sandy down in New York. We’ve always been there for others, and now we need their help.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story overstated the number of counties eligible for individual assistance at this time. It also mentioned a cap on the amount of individual assistance a qualifying person can receive.According to FEMA spokesperson Shirley “Jann” Tracey, assistance “varies on a case-by-case situation and applicable programs vary.”
