Four months after Tropical Storm Irene battered the state, Vermont reopened the last stretch of highway destroyed by flooding and appointed a new head for the recovery effort.
Sue Minter, deputy secretary of the Agency of Transportation, will replace Neale Lunderville as the state's Irene Recovery Officer.
Minter, a former state representative from Waterbury, will work on a three-month basis starting Jan. 6. Her job is to engage communities, individuals and businesses in the effort to rebound from the damage caused in late August.
At a press conference last Thursday, Gov. Peter Shumlin said, “We continue to focus on the extraordinary work we have ahead for us.”
Shumlin said that means helping individuals who lost homes, businesses and communities that need to rebuild infrastructure.
“We continue to work hand in hand with them to ensure that the extraordinary story of the last four months continues to gain momentum in a partnership that we build Vermont in a way better than the way Irene found us,” Shumlin said. “That's our commitment, and there's no one able to take over for Neale better than Sue Minter.”
Minter will work with the dozen long-term recovery groups in the state and will help coordinate with communities and individuals as well as with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure compensation for those harmed by the storm.
More than 7,000 Vermonters have registered with FEMA following the storm. About 4,300 have received individual assistance so far.
Moreover, the storm damaged about 1,500 homes in addition to more than 500 miles of roads, dozens of bridges, the Waterbury State Office Complex and the Vermont State Hospital.
“There's so much going on that needs support and oversight,” Minter said. “If there's not someone at the top carrying the ball, it will drop.”
Shumlin said Minter will not be deeply involved in the decision regarding what to do about the Waterbury State Office Complex.
Along with the news of Minter's appointment, Shumlin announced the state reopened Route 107 from Bethel to Stockbridge - the final road to be opened after Irene.
Lunderville will return to his job at Green Mountain Power but will continue to volunteer for the state as part of the recovery effort.