If God helps those who helps themselves, Vermonters should be first in line for heavenly handouts (or at least disaster assistance from the feds).
The state's residents, known for being a hardy lot, have proved their mettle over the last month as they have dug out of the mud, muck and debris left by Tropical Storm Irene.
The storm struck Vermont Aug. 28 and dumped as much as 11 inches of rainfall on the Green Mountains in a 24-hour period. Overnight, the deluge turned small brooks, roads and even open fields into raging rivers of water.
Floodwaters ravaged historic downtowns, destroyed businesses and damaged more than 2,000 houses (more than 120 were completely destroyed).
State highways, bridges and local roads were gutted and in some cases became part of nearby river beds.
Municipalities lost town offices (and in several cases the records, too), libraries, fire and police stations and sewage treatment systems.
The Waterbury State Office Complex was flooded and four people died and hundreds were stranded in 13 communities that became inaccessible because of extensive road and bridge damage.
Ninety schools delayed the first day of the school year. About 500 miles of roadways were impassable. Power outages compounded the sense of isolation in many communities.
The state hadn't seen a natural disaster of this magnitude since the Flood of 1927.
In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, thousands of volunteers mobilized to rebuild roads, distribute emergency supplies, restore electricity and gut buildings damaged by the floodwaters. VTrans sent hundreds of workers to the disaster area to scout out the road damage. National Guard members from Ohio, Illinois, Virginia and Vermont delivered supplies by helicopter to isolated towns.
New organizations – vtresponse.com and a number of local relief funds - sprang up to help raise money and organize volunteer labor. Schools, businesses, nonprofits and individuals donated thousands of hours and millions of dollars to help flood victims.
Thanks to the overwhelming disaster relief response, a semblance of normalcy has returned to many towns, and a deepened sense of connection among neighbors has taken hold.
Though the emergency phase has gone well, state officials urge patience and they warn that reconstruction could take several years to complete and the effort will be costly – estimates are in the $1 billion range.
In taking stock of how far the state has come since Aug. 29, when the rains stopped and the recovery effort began, here is some statistical information that underscores the magnitude of the damage and the scale of the response.
Transportation
Vermont's transportation infrastructure took the biggest hit. The day after Irene, about 500 miles of the state's roads and highways were damaged. Today, all but 13 miles are open in some capacity; about 23 miles of roadway are only open to emergency vehicles.
Thirty-four state bridges were closed on Aug. 29. Today, 27 of those have been reopened.
“We're making huge progress,” Sue Minter, deputy secretary of the Agency of Transportation, said. “We couldn't have done it without the outstanding dedication of our transportation workers, contractors, the National Guard and other states.”
The worst road sections will take more time. One segment of Route 131 in Cavendish, for example, is now a canyon with a 200-foot drop-off, Minter said. Route 107 in Stockbridge became part of the White River. In Jamaica and Wardsboro, Route 100 was badly gutted.
The price tag to bring all the state highways back up to snuff? $700 million, according to VTrans officials. About a third of that cost estimate is for emergency stabilization; the remainder reflects the cost of making permanent infrastructure investments.
The cost of rebuilding town highways and bridges is another matter. Municipalities are tallying the damage and must issue reports to VTrans on Oct. 1. Early estimates from the regional planning commissions, which are helping to coordinate recovery efforts for towns, are not yet available.
Brian Searles, secretary of the Agency of Transportation, reported that 2,135 town road segments needed to be repaired. Of that total, 178 segments are closed, and 36 are emergency-only access sections. There are 238 town bridges that sustained damage; 99 are closed.
Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, has said the cost of reconstructing municipal transportation infrastructure could be several hundred million dollars.
Municipal infrastructure
The tally of municipal structures ruined by Irene is staggering: Eleven town offices, six highway garages, eight covered bridges, seven fire stations and five libraries. In all, claims for more than 130 municipal properties will likely be filed, according the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
In addition, damage has been reported to a number of police cruisers, dozens of sewage pump stations, town garages, dams, playgrounds, concession stands, swimming pools and water treatment plants.
Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the League, said most municipal structures are insured under the League's blanket policy. The preliminary estimate for rebuilding town infrastructure will be at least $15.48 million, according to League documents.
Homes
As of last week, FEMA reported that 3,014 Vermonters have been approved for housing assistance. The average grant is roughly $5,000. So far, 120 residents have received the maximum individual housing award of $30,200. More than 1,000 Vermonters will receive rental assistance, according to FEMA public information officer Deanna Frazier.
FEMA has distributed $15.5 million to individuals and families so far.
More than 5,700 Vermonters have applied for assistance, and 2700 are still waiting for housing inspectors and/or approval.
The worst hit counties, based on application rates, are: Windsor (1,566 applications); Windham (1,225 applications); Washington (972) and Rutland (905).
Mobile home owners are faced with a double-whammy. The value of their property depreciates, unlike permanent housing stock, and so reimbursement values, as approved by FEMA, can be quite low.
In addition, homeowners must pay for removal costs out of FEMA grants. The disposal costs range between $5,000 and $6,000. The state is trying to help to lower that cost by breaking down the trailers before they're shipped to the dump. Deconstructed mobile homes cost $1,500 to dispose of.
About 140 mobile homeowners were whacked by Irene; of those, about half were in the Weston Mobile Home Park in Berlin.
Lawrence Miller, secretary of the Agency of Commerce, said he's concerned about Vermonters who aren't signing up for FEMA assistance. Right now, though the number of homeless residents as a result of Irene is low (there are seven families without housing), Miller anticipates that in the dead of winter, Vermonters who are living in campers and sleeping on a neighbor or relative's couch, might not have a place to live in February.
The governor has placed a request for temporary housing, but FEMA has not yet activated that request, but they have brought trailers to Springfield in case they are needed.
Businesses
As of last week, the Small Business Administration had issued 4,912 loan applications to homeowners and businesses in Vermont. So far, 31 applications totaling $1,808,500 have been approved for low-interest loans.
The Vermont Economic Development Authority is in the process of issuing more than 143 low-interest loans to flood victims. So far, VEDA has distributed $7.5 million to businesses. The state gave VEDA $1.4 million to leverage about $10 million in capital for lending. The loans range from $5,000 to $100,000 and average about $65,000, according to Jo
Bradley, executive director of VEDA. The applications, she said, have been coming in at a rate of about 8 to 12 a day.
Bradley said many people “are just figuring out what they need to do.”
“I would guess we would have quite a bit more,” she said. VEDA may seek additional state funding in order to satisfy loan demand, Bradley said. Farmers who lost crops in the floodwaters can apply for VEDA funding, but haven't been seeking funds yet.
State office complex
The more than 500,000 square foot facility served about 1,500 state workers. The complex, which served as the “nerve center” of state government, housed the two largest segments of state government - the Agency of Natural Resources and the Agency of Human Services. The Vermont State Hospital is also part of the complex.
Floodwaters filled the extensive network of tunnels under the 19th century brick buildings and soaked the first floor of the campus buildings, knocked out generators, ruined computers and eroded the foundation of one structure. The state employees who had been based in Waterbury have been asked to relocate to one of a half dozen temporary locations in Winooski, Montpelier and Burlington.
Today, the future of the facility is in doubt. It will cost $20 million to $25 million to stabilize the complex.
Jeb Spaulding, the secretary of the Agency of Administration, has said a range of options are under review. He suggested that the state could demolish some of the buildings that would be too costly to repair and build anew on the Waterbury site. The facility could be sold and the state could build elsewhere or the whole facility could be renovated and reconstructed.
Whatever happens, lawmakers will be a part of the decisionmaking process, according to Rep. Alice Emmons, D-Springfield, and chair of the House Institutions Committee. Emmons' committee and the Senate Institutions Committee recently took a tour of the complex to survey the damage.
She said legislators will work with the administration to discuss the options, but it's too early to begin that process now until the Department of Buildings and Grounds finishes its cleanup and environmental testing at the complex.
“I'm committed to involving the community of Waterbury … and work with House Institutions to air out all the sides and possibilities,” Emmons said. “I think we can really do some innovative things … I'm not closing the door on anything.”
Emmons expects the Irene disaster to dominate the Legislature's agenda in the next session. “This hits every committee except health care,” she said.