FEMA provides $14 million in grants to families
MONTPELIER - Just three weeks after Sept. 1, the date Vermont received a major disaster declaration due to the effects of Tropical Storm Irene, FEMA has approved nearly $14 million in assistance grants to individuals and families.
That includes over $13 million for housing assistance to help repair, rebuild or replace housing and for rental assistance, as well as more than $708,000 for assistance with other needs, such as replacement of personal property or medical expenses.
According to Vermont Emergency Management, 5,468 registrations have been received, 2,187 Vermonters have been approved for housing assistance, and 112 have received the maximum individual housing program award of $30,200. The average housing award is just under $6,000.Also, 1,049 Vermonters have been approved for temporary rental assistance grants.
The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued 4,912 loan applications to homeowners and businesses in Vermont. To date a total of 345 have been returned, and 31 applications totaling $1,808,500 have been approved in low-interest loans.
Other disaster assistance available includes:
• Disaster Unemployment is available to those whose jobs were permanently or temporarily lost due to the disaster, including those who are self-employed. Anyone who lost work and lived, worked, or was scheduled to work in a county that has received a federal disaster designation may apply for benefits by calling the Vermont Department of Labor's Claim Assistance Line at 877-214-3330. The filing deadline for assistance is Oct. 7.
• Renters – not just homeowners – in 12 Vermont counties who had damage due to Tropical Storm Irene are encouraged to register with FEMA. Renters may receive grants to replace lost property, or if they were displaced from their homes, they may be eligible for funds to help them with temporary rental assistance. These funds are for a limited period until the renter's previous home is habitable or another permanent rental is found.
• Housing Hotline: The state and FEMA have established a toll-free number and a fax number to receive calls from anyone who has housing available to rent or wishes to offer housing at no cost for Vermonters displaced by the flood. The toll-free phone number is 866-330-5286 and the fax number is 540-686-4467.
• Legal Services: Those facing legal issues due to Tropical Storm Irene may call 800-889-2047 for free legal advice. Those who qualify for assistance will be matched with Vermont lawyers volunteering their time. Legal assistance may include help with insurance claims, home repair contracts and contractors, replacement of wills and other legal documents destroyed in the disaster and counseling on mortgage-foreclosure problems and landlord/tenant problems.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes. If you are referred to SBA after you register with FEMA, you should fill out the paperwork to see whether the SBA can offer you a loan. If you do not fill out an SBA packet it may close the door to other FEMA grants. For more information, call 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for people with speech or hearing disabilities). Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov or completed online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ele.
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans: The SBA offers these loans to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private non-profit organizations. Economic Injury Disaster Loans are intended to help meet working capital needs due to lost business income because of the disaster. The loans are available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
• National Flood Insurance Program: State and federal officials are encouraging Vermont residents in NFIP-participating communities to sign up for federally-backed flood insurance before Sept. 30, when the program is set to expire. While funding for the National Flood Insurance Program has traditionally been extended by Congress, officials warn that during the period between its expiration and when a new funding measure is approved, residents seeking flood insurance may be unable to acquire it.
Eleven disaster recovery centers are currently open and 2,456 visits have been made to them. Visiting a center is not necessary to receive disaster assistance, but those who would like to speak to a recovery specialist face-to-face can visit one for more information. To find one in your area, go to www.fema.gov/drclocator.
Community relations teams are also reminding Vermonters that they cannot register for FEMA assistance by calling 211. FEMA's registration number is: 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice, and multilingual assistance is available.
Online registration is available at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or at FEMA's mobile website, m.fema.gov for Smartphone or tablet users. FEMA also has an app for android phones, which can be downloaded at market.android.com/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android. Online registration helps to reduce the number of forms you have to fill out, shortens the time it takes to apply for aid and allows you to check the progress of your application online.
NOFA-VT experiences record interest in Farmer Emergency Fund
WESTMINSTER WEST - The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) is experiencing unprecedented levels of interest in their Farmer Emergency Fund, which provides financial support to organic and NOFA-VT member farmers whose land and crops were destroyed by the statewide flooding. To date, NOFA-VT has sent 21 applications to farmers statewide.
In response to the anticipated financial need to help farmers rebuild, NOFA-VT is launching an online auction to raise critical funding to support the Emergency Fund. NOFA-VT is reaching out to the community and statewide businesses to donate items and experiences to the auction.
The goal of the auction is to raise at least $30,000. It will run the first two weeks in October after launching at the NOFA 40th Birthday Celebration in Westminster West on Oct. 1. All of the funding raised will go directly to help farmers in need.
More than $63,000 has been raised for the fund thus far to provide both grants and zero-percent-interest loans to farmers. NOFA-VT's Farmer Emergency Fund has been in existence since 1997 and is available to organic and member farmers throughout the state who have been affected by fires, floods, and other disasters. For more information about donating or applying for funds, visit nofavt.org or call 802-434-4122.
Efficiency Vermont helps homeowners, businesses with free flood repair assessments
MONTPELIER - Efficiency Vermont is working with contractors and community-based organizations to help residents and small businesses rebuild after Tropical Storm Irene. Free services from Efficiency Vermont for flood-damaged structures include:
• Free flood repair assessments and air sealing by certified contractors, including moisture assessments, blower-door tests to identify areas of air leakage, air sealing, combustion safety testing to determine carbon monoxide levels and recommendations for rebuilding safely and energy efficiently;
• Enhanced weatherization and appliances replacement for low-income Vermonters, in collaboration with local weatherization assistance programs;
• Special custom “Button Up” workshops scheduled around the state, to help Vermonters rebuild safely and energy efficiently, in partnership with the Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC);
• Incentives of up to $1,000 to help Vermonters replace and upgrade heating systems and hot water heaters, in cooperation with the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association; and
• Customized incentives for businesses on equipment replacement as well as structural repairs.
More information can be found by contacting Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or www.efficiencyvermont.com/irene. Community leaders in flood-affected areas who want to schedule workshops are encouraged to contact Liz Schlegel of CVCAC at 802-477-5237 or lschlegel@cvcac.org.
State officials announce plan for rapid, affordable disposal of flooded mobile homes
MONTPELIER - A group of top state officials announced last week that they have a plan to remove and dispose of mobile homes that were ruined by flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene.
Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Lawrence Miller, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, have been talking with private-sector partners for the last several days to nail down the framework for the plan, which they say offers a quick, responsible and affordable solution to a problem facing nearly 150 mobile home owners in more than a dozen parks around the state.
Under this plan, the total disposal cost for each individual mobile home owner will be $1,500. Typical disposal costs can run upwards of $3,500, particularly for older units. The group secured this reduced cost by requesting bulk pricing proposals from Vermont contracting firms on demolition, sorting, recycling and hauling of the mobile homes, and working with the solid waste districts to reduce or waive tipping fees.