Acting VDP Chairman Jake Perkinson sent around the following note after spending the day helping folks in Duxbury clean up from Irene-spawned floods (and unfortunately, as of 7 p.m., there were reports of more heavy rainfall in some of the already hard-hit areas):
I’ve just returned from working in Duxbury today with Senator Sally Fox, Representative Tom Stevens, Burlington City Councilor Joan Shannon, the staff of the Vermont Democratic Party, and other friends and volunteers. The devastation there, and throughout many communities in our state, is staggering. We helped clear out basements, haul away saturated carpets and furniture, and sort through belongings to help people salvage what they can. There are volunteers working throughout the state and while it is making a difference, I can tell you now from personal experience that there is still so much to be done. Vermonters need all hands on deck right now because many of our friends and neighbors have lost everything.
If you have time this Labor Day weekend, even a few hours, please consider donating your labor to help people reclaim their lives and begin the process of rebuilding. Below, along with updates about the recovery process, are a few resources for volunteering. […]
Thank you for all that you are doing at this time to help Vermont recover.
Sincerely,
Jake Perkinson
Read more from the VDP’s note below the fold.
The following information is again provided in cooperation with the Republican and Progressive Parties, the Governor’s office, and legislative leadership. I understand that there will come a time where we will be at the point of “information overload”. But we keep hearing that such information is needed throughout our state. If you believe there are people within your community who need this but do not have access to a computer or the internet, please print this and share it in person.
New INFORMATION:
As of last evening (Wednesday, August 31st) , assessments found that about 120 homes have major damage or were destroyed; three more state roads opened today, 64 remain closed and Transportation crews are working into the night on those projects; 65 state bridges remain closed; four Red Cross shelters are still open, and several local shelters are also housing people who lost housing in the storm.
After hearing of concerns related to the 211 call center being overloaded with phone calls for information and assistance, the Governor’s office worked closely with FEMA and the United Way to triple the capacity, adding 20 new lines. Additional volunteers are needed to staff the line; anyone interested in volunteering should contact the Governor’s office at 802-828-3333.“One of our priorities was to get the 211 telephone system staffed to the appropriate level to handle this unprecedented call level,” Gov. Shumlin said. He noted that social media, including Facebook, has also enabled Vermonters to volunteer, donate cash to help victims of the storm, and stay up to speed on road closing and other issues.
Power has been restored to all but about 10,000 Vermonters statewide, down from over 50,000 outages on Monday. Bridge inspectors are coming in from other states to assist the Agency of Transportation in getting bridges reopened; truck-loads and helicopter loads of food, water and supplies have been – and will continue to be – delivered to communities statewide; law enforcement is conducting welfare checks to ensure Vermonters’ safety.Also today:
All of the 13 previously isolated communities now have vehicle access of some sort (some require four-wheel drive access). Transportation crews worked all day on the final community – Wardsboro – and provided access just before 6 p.m.
Recognizing that many Vermonters might be unable to meet the Sept. 1 filing deadlines for four programs administered by the Tax Department, the deadline for accepting those documents will be Sept. 30 (must be received by the Department for Property Tax Adjustment Claim; Homestead Declaration; Renter Rebate Claim; and Current Use Application.
The Vermont Bar Association, Vermont Legal Aid, Legal Services Law Line of Vermont and the Vermont Volunteer Lawyers Project have pro bono lawyers standing by to help victims of Tropical Storm Irene. Call 1-800-889-2047 to speak by phone with a Legal Aid or Law Line attorney, or be assigned an attorney through the Volunteer Lawyer Project. Visit http://www.vtlawhelp.org/disas… for answers to frequently asked questions.
Gov. Shumlin’s office is working with state agencies to make sure that state laws and permitting requirements aren’t unreasonably slowing recovery efforts.
The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has allocated up to $10 million in special low-interest financing for Vermont businesses and farms who suffered direct physical damage as a result of Hurricane Irene. The Hurricane Irene Assistance Loan Program funds are available immediately.
Of the 327 Vermont public schools were closed Monday, all but 90 have reopened.
The Agency of Commerce and Community Affairs opened a call-line to report business damage from flooding : 802-828-3211.Note: There are two sites in particular that you may want to check periodically for information on both assistance and volunteering needs:
I heard today on VPR (where the staff is doing an incredible job keeping tabs on needs and news in the affected towns) that a farmer in Royalton would be out of cattle feed as of tonight.
One woman called in to remind listeners that without electricity, the cows must be milked by hand; a large-animal veterinarian called in soon after to assure her and other listeners that the cows would be okay if they were not milked for a little while, and that it was better for the cows if farmers would stop milking altogether rather than trying intermittently to milk them.
There was discussion of mycotoxins in hay and grain that got soaked in the floods, making it unusable for animal feed – unless the crop was standing and could be washed off.
On a friend’s Facebook page I saw a photo of a former employer’s building in Brandon’s Conant Square with water up over the first-floor windowsills. This niche publisher had all of its inventory and shipping supplies in the basement, on a level with its back parking lot, a mere two feet above the pre-flood Neshobe River.
The Brandon House of Pizza, just around the corner, was shifted off its foundation by the force of the river.
Repairing roads and returning power are important steps, but they’re just the beginning.
Do what you can now, and again in three months, and in six months, and then maybe in a year we’ll begin to see some real recovery.