BERLIN, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Governor Phil Scott and state officials will provide an update Wednesday afternoon on the state’s ongoing response to flooding earlier this month.
Watch live at 12 p.m. on WCAX.com. Watch above or click here to view in a new browser window.
The governor last week officially made a request for federal disaster relief funding for the July 10 storm. It asks for both public and individual assistance from FEMA and covers Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, and Essex Counties.
The governor on Friday also called on the USDA to assist farmers. Vermont’s congressional delegation on Tuesday backed up that request with a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“On July 10, 2024—just one year after the most catastrophic flooding Vermont has seen in nearly a century—our state was struck by remnants of Hurricane Beryl, causing severe flooding across northern and central Vermont. More than five inches of rain fell in numerous towns, with the town of Walden receiving 7.25 inches of precipitation. This intense rainfall over a short period of time damaged railways, destroyed crops, and washed away roads, bridges, and culverts,” wrote the lawmakers. “Vermont’s farms—still in the process of recovering from last year’s floods—were also heavily impacted, and it is imperative that the federal government, working in conjunction with the state, mobilize as many resources as possible to aid our agricultural sector. We therefore ask that you quickly approve Governor Scott’s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation and any additional requests for support forthcoming from the state.”