Vermont

Vermont’s top housing official concerned by FEMA’s count of homes destroyed by floods

Published

9 months ago

August 17, 2023

Vermont’s top housing official concerned by FEMA’s count of homes destroyed by floods

This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far given out over $13 million to more than 2,400 Vermonters impacted by July’s catastrophic flooding.

But the number of applicants whose homes have been deemed destroyed by FEMA is relatively small. And some state officials say they’re worried the agency’s assessments don’t match up to the impacts on the ground.

So far, FEMA has only determined that nine homes have been destroyed by July’s flooding, along with two rental properties, said Vermont Housing Commissioner Josh Hanford at a special legislative hearing on Tuesday. Another 234 homes and 91 rental properties are considered to have major damage, he said.

Hanford called these low numbers “concerning.”

“You can see that from FEMA’s numbers, the majority of damage they consider minor,” Hanford said. “But from what we saw in Barre, what we know from other situations — I think that number is a lot higher.”

FEMA’s current internal guidance lays out a list of criteria the agency considers when deciding whether a home is repairable or “destroyed” — and thus eligible for a higher payout. If two or more major structural components need to be replaced because of damage from the disaster (like load-bearing walls or the foundation), or if flood waters have reached the roof, inundating most of the living area, then the home is considered destroyed.

Hanford pointed to manufactured home communities specifically. Across four parks that saw major flooding — two in Berlin, one in Ludlow, and another in Johnson — 52 homes have been condemned by the state’s Division of Fire Safety.

“So the FEMA number of total destroyed and what we’re seeing aren’t matching yet,” Hanford said.

The number of destroyed homes could tick up. FEMA is still completing inspections, and some households may go through appeals before reaching a final determination, Hanford noted.

The federal agency has so far approved 21 maximum awards to Vermonters following the floods, Hanford said. The highest housing award FEMA can give is $41,000.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

Source link

Vermont

Vermont State Police seek information on theft from vehicle in Sheldon – Newport Dispatch

Published

6 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Vermont State Police seek information on theft from vehicle in Sheldon – Newport Dispatch

SHELDON — Vermont State Police are looking into a theft from a motor vehicle that occurred on May 20 at about 8:03 p.m. at the Rail Trail parking lot near Kane Road and Vt Route 105.

According to authorities, the involved suspect vehicle is a grey 2018 Subaru Crosstrek with the Vermont registration HYT863.

Law enforcement officials have not yet identified any suspects in the case.

The public is urged to come forward with any relevant information about the incident or the whereabouts of the vehicle in question.

Those who can assist are asked to contact the St. Albans Barracks at 802-524-5993.

Trooper Jared Blair is actively investigating the case.

The Vermont State Police are committed to ensuring the safety and security of the community and appreciate any assistance the public can provide.

For further inquiries or to provide tips, please reach out to Trooper Blair at the St. Albans Barracks.

Source link

Vermont

The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, May 22-28

Published

13 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, May 22-28

click to enlarge

Courtesy Of Jim Schley
Parish Players present Deaf Republic

Page to Stage

Friday 24-Sunday 26

The Parish Players present Deaf Republic, a one-weekend-only staged reading of Ilya Kaminsky’s acclaimed poem cycle of the same name, at Thetford’s Eclipse Grange Theatre. Featuring puppetry and set work by Ria Blaas and a cast packed with local talent, the production tells the allegorical story of a town under a brutal occupation, where all the villagers lose their hearing after soldiers kill a deaf boy.

The Umpire Strikes Back

Saturday 25-Monday 27

click to enlarge Vermont Lake Monsters game - FILE: JORDAN BARRY ©️ SEVEN DAYS

File: Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
Vermont Lake Monsters game

The Vermont Lake Monsters are back for another season of balls, bats and boogying with Champ. Spectators at Burlington’s Centennial Field buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack to watch the Green Mountain State’s own Futures Collegiate Baseball League team face off against the Brockton Rox in three Memorial Day weekend games.

New Kid on the Flock

Saturday 25 & Sunday 26

click to enlarge

Family Sheep and Wool Weekend - COURTESY

Courtesy
Family Sheep and Wool Weekend

People and sheep alike shed their winter coats at Family Sheep and Wool Weekend, a lamb-themed jamboree at Woodstock’s Billings Farm & Museum. The springtime fun includes weaving and spinning demonstrations, woolly fiber crafts, and an up-close look at the workaday lives of the herding border collies.

Don’t Rain on My Parade

Monday 27

click to enlarge

Vergennes Memorial Day Parade - COURTESY OF JOANNA RAE PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtesy Of Joanna Rae Photography
Vergennes Memorial Day Parade

Party people of all ages take a break from flipping burgers and eating hot dogs to line the streets for the annual Vergennes Memorial Day Parade. Kicking off the festivities at Vergennes Union Middle & High School, American Legion Post 14 hosts a patriotic march through downtown to honor Vermonters who have served in the armed forces, followed by a chicken barbecue.

American Ukrainian

Tuesday 28

click to enlarge Larissa Babij - COURTESY OF KOSTIANTYN STRILETS

Courtesy Of Kostiantyn Strilets
Larissa Babij

Larissa Babij discusses her new, straight-from-the-headlines memoir, A Kind of Refugee: The Story of an American Who Refused to Leave Ukraine, with University of Vermont professor Adrian Ivakhiv at Richmond Free Library. Collected partially from Babij’s ongoing Substack dispatches, the book tells the story of the terrifying first days of war from the perspective of the Ukrainian American writer and translator.

Earth Day

Wednesday 29

click to enlarge

Still from Feeling the Apocalypse - COURTESY

Courtesy
Still from Feeling the Apocalypse

Both cinephiles and environmentalists find something to love at SunCommon’s Climate Action Film Festival at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Film House in Burlington. The annual screening soirée features stories of activism and resilience from around the world, and proceeds benefit 350Vermont.

Seasons of Love

Ongoing

click to enlarge 'Reflection' by Anna Yakubovskaya - COURTESY

Courtesy
‘Reflection’ by Anna Yakubovskaya

Russian-born, Vermont-based artist Anna Yakubovskaya‘s newest solo show at Burlington’s Frog Hollow Vermont Craft Gallery, “Embracing the Ephemeral,” celebrates the Vermont seasons in all their beauty and brevity. Painted on paper and silk, her watercolors capture sunrises over the mountains, mist over lakes and the moment the leaves begin to change.

Source link

Vermont

Plan to Sort Vermont's Mail in Connecticut Is Suspended

Published

20 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Plan to Sort Vermont's Mail in Connecticut Is Suspended

click to enlarge

ANNE WALLACE ALLEN ©️ Seven Days
Vermont mail that was routed through Connecticut

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended its plan to relocate Vermont’s mail sorting to Connecticut — a move that many fear would only worsen delays in a troubled system.

“I am encouraged USPS listened to the concerns we raised from our constituents, and finally paused these misguided facility reviews,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said in a prepared statement after the suspension was announced last week.

“I will keep fighting to improve mail delivery in Vermont, which has been terribly deteriorated,” Welch added.

Postal Service Plans to Route Vermont Mail Through Connecticut

By Anne Wallace Allen

Business

The Postal Service had proposed reorganizing its mail sorting hubs in Essex Junction and White River Junction. Some local letters mailed in Vermont would have been diverted for sorting in Hartford, Conn., 250 miles south of Burlington. That was part of a complex plan to consolidate hundreds of distribution locations into about 60 large centers around the country.

The Postal Service has been looking to cut costs. It hasn’t been able to cover its expenses for more than 15 years, mostly because of declining demand for first-class mail, its most profitable product.

Long before the consolidation plan was announced, members of Congress were vowing to take action to improve service, particularly in rural areas, where complaints about missing and late mail are legion. Many rural post offices are open only a few hours a day, and they face severe staff shortages that cause unplanned closures.

“It made absolutely no sense to me on many levels, climate change being one of them,” said Joseph Gainza, a Marshfield activist who hosts “Gathering Peace,”
a social justice program on WGDR radio. “If you’re going to be delivering mail down to Hartford and bringing it all the way back up to Vermont by truck, your carbon footprint gets larger.”

Rural Mail Carriers Face Pay Cuts That Could Worsen Service Woes for Vermonters

By Rachel Hellman

Economy

The Postal Service has been hearing a chorus of complaints. Many concern late and missing mail, problems with package delivery, and rising costs. In April, the Postal Service announced a proposal to raise the price of a first-class Forever stamp from 68 cents to 73 cents, a change that would take effect July 14 if approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The target of complaints is often Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed in June 2020 by the Postal Service’s 11-member Board of Governors, a panel selected by then-president Donald Trump.

In April, Welch and 25 other members of Congress from both sides of the aisle urged DeJoy to reconsider the consolidation plan. Welch also asked President Biden to nominate people to the USPS Board of Governors who would hold DeJoy accountable for the rural delivery problems.

Steve Hutkins, a retired professor who monitors the Postal Service from his home in Rhinebeck, N.Y. and runs a website called Save the Post Office, said he thinks the 26 lawmakers’ letter influenced DeJoy’s decision to halt the consolidation.

“You could sense momentum building when 26 senators all signed off on a letter asking for a pause,” Hutkins said Monday.

Source link