August, 2024
Volume 18 Issue 8
**Best viewed on a computer browser or horizontally if you are on a smartphone**
**All information below is current as of August 26, 2024, at noon**
Disaster declaration for July 9-11 story has been approved
Vermont has requested a federal disaster declaration for June 23 Storm
Governor Phil Scott Requests Federal Disaster Declaration for July 9-11 Storm (declaration approved August 20th)
Governor Phil Scott has made a formal request for a federal disaster declaration which would bring federal resources to individuals and communities recovering from the July 10 and 11 flooding event. The declaration requests funding under the federal Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs.
The state is requesting Public Assistance and Individual Assistance in Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, and Essex counties. It also includes a request for only Public Assistance in Orange County.
“Flooding on July 10 and 11 devastated many of the same areas that were impacted by last summer’s flood, destroying infrastructure, homes, and property,” said Governor Phil Scott. “Although FEMA assistance won’t make towns and homeowners whole for the repair costs, if approved, this will help lessen their financial burden – help that is desperately needed for these communities and households.”
A federal assessment verified more than $5.5 million in damage to public infrastructure. This figure is only a partial estimate to show the state meets the minimum qualification for a disaster declaration. The total cost to repair damages will be much higher. If approved, a Public Assistance disaster declaration would allow communities in declared counties to receive 75% reimbursement for storm response and recovery, including repairs to public infrastructure.
The Individual Assistance program would help individuals impacted by the disaster seek some reimbursement for damages to personal property, emergency expenses, and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance. Eligible expenses include rental assistance, home repair, home replacement, and lodging, among others.
Governor Scott’s request was sent to FEMA who will provide a recommendation to President Biden, who has ultimate authority to approve or reject the request.
Individuals who suffered losses in the storm should continue to clean and rebuild, taking photos of before, during, and after repairs. Homeowners and renters should also keep records of all expenditures and a list of personal property losses. Losses should still be reported to Vermont 211, either by dialing 2-1-1 or by visiting vermont211.org.
Vermont towns should continue making repairs to public infrastructure, documenting all work carefully for possible future reimbursement. Eligible reimbursement costs include repair work on public roads and buildings, tree and debris removal from public rights of way, municipal employee overtime spent working on recovery, contractor help, equipment rentals, and other storm-related costs.
Click here to view the Governor’s letter to the President.
Vermont Requests Federal Assessment of July 30-31 Storms and Flood Damage
The State submitted a request for a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday, August 2nd, to determine whether the state qualifies for a federal major disaster declaration for flooding and resulting damage on July 30 and July 31, 2024.
The request asks for Public Assistance (PA) assessments in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties and Individual Assistance (IA) assessments in Caledonia and Essex counties for damage caused by the storms.
“Many of the communities impacted by the July 30-31 storms were still cleaning up from flooding less than a month ago,” said Governor Phil Scott. “This intense rainstorm devastated homes, businesses, roads, bridges, culverts and other public infrastructure. Vermonters impacted should report damage to 211, so we have the information we need to make our case for additional federal resources.”
A very early assessment by the state has already discovered damage to public infrastructure resulting from the storm exceeding $6 million. To qualify for a major PA disaster declaration, FEMA must verify at least $1.183 million in response and public infrastructure recovery costs. Individual counties must also show damages of $4.60 per capita to qualify.
A PA disaster declaration provides 75 percent reimbursement to communities for responding to and repairing public infrastructure damaged by the storm
An IA declaration would provide some financial assistance to homeowners and renters for property losses in the storm. To reach the threshold for an IA disaster, residents need to report damage to 211 by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting www.vermont211.org.
Even if you have minimal damage, please report it to 211 to give the state an accurate picture of damages.
Input Needed: Vermont Special Events 2025
The Vermont Intelligence Center is once again compiling a list of statewide special events to help area law enforcement gain situational awareness and assist in local planning requirements. To do so, the VIC is requesting community assistance in compiling the statewide directory of events occurring between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025.
“Special Events” include gatherings that attract a large number of participants and spectators (a minimum of 1,500) in a public and/or private venue. Examples include concerts, marathons, fireworks displays, parades, community celebrations, visits by VIPs, sporting events, holiday gatherings, etc. Officials in any town can assist in keeping Vermont prepared by completing an online “Special Events Reporting Form,” which can be found below.
Vermont Special Events Reporting Form.
A comprehensive and current list of special events contributes to the overall resilience of every community and helps local first responders and state public safety organizations better protect Vermont's citizens and guests. Anyone with questions or wishing for additional information should contact the Vermont Intelligence Center at dps.vic@list.vermont.gov.
Training
Most trainings require a Learning Management System(LMS) account. If you don’t have an account, you can register for one at the following link: https://vermont.csod.com/selfreg/register.aspx?c=%255e%255e%255eQGm2wxcSUvINsXvXjRYs1A%253d%253d
For a complete listing of trainings go to the Events Calendar in the LMS: https://vermont.csod.com/LMS/catalog/EventsCalendar.aspx?tab_page_id=-10&tab_id=20000513#m=2&d=03/08/2023
VT- Alert Manager Training: This training is now an anytime training in the LMS. We will still host the virtual live training. You can take this training at the following link on the LMS: https://vermont.csod.com/ui/lms-learning-details/app/video/588bdf66-6e68-490e-aa8b-18ccdd115184
August 2024
MGT -417: Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents for Key Decision Makers
The purpose of this 2 day management/planning level course is to provide the operational-level details to support many of the topics covered in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved AWR 148: Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents – Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School Systems awareness-level course. Rural schools, law enforcement, other emergency responders, and community stakeholders are often limited in their access to resources, so it is imperative that all potentially affected parties collaborate in planning, preparation, communication, response, and recovery in the event of a school-based incident. Moreover, these affected parties must come together to practice their interoperable skills through drills and exercises to ensure the strategies in place provide for an effective crisis response and collaborative recovery. With the intent of building upon the foundation of the AWR 148 course and utilizing an all-hazards approach, this two-day course will provide content instruction, develop concept-specific skills, and provide opportunities for law enforcement, school personnel, and community stakeholders to collaboratively apply the course objectives in scenario-based applications.
LOCATION: Middlebury Union High School
DATE/TIME: August 8, 2024, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. & August 9, 2024, 8:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
REGISTRATION: Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC)
G0191- ICS/EOC Interface
This course provides an opportunity for participants to begin developing an effective interface between the Incident Command System (ICS) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for their community by applying Incident Command System (ICS) principles. This course reviews ICS and EOC responsibilities and functions and depends heavily on exercises and group discussions to identify interface issues and develop solutions. As part of the course, these concepts are then applied to exercise situations.
LOCATION: Manchester Community Library, Manchester, VT
DATE/TIME: August 13, 2024, 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800
REGISTRATION: via State Learning Management System
VT- Alert Manager Training
This training is intended for Town Officials who use VT-Alert for public notifications. This class is required for all people who will be using the program at the manager level. This training can also act as a refresher as needed. The class will be approximately 1.5 hours long and consist of sending live test alerts. A computer and internet connection are required. A second computer monitor is highly suggested as there is a follow along portion to the class. Prior to the training please confirm that your town has the required VT-Alert adoption paperwork. If you are unsure please contact dps.vtalert@vermont.gov
LOCATION: Virtual
DATE/TIME: August 14, 2024, 1:00 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
ICS 300- Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
This course focuses on the management of expanding incidents and is intended for those who will be serving in the following positions: command staff, section chiefs, strike team leaders, unit leaders, division and group supervisors, branch directors, multi-agency coordination system staff, and Emergency Operations Center staff. This course is for middle management, strike team leaders, task force leaders, unit leaders, division and group supervisors, branch directors, and Emergency Operations Center staff.
LOCATION: DPS Headquarters- Waterbury, VT
DATE/TIME: August 20-22, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. each day
PREREQUISITES: ICS-100 and ICS-200
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
September 2024
2024 Vermont Emergency Preparedness Conference
LOCATION: Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
DATE/TIME: September 10-11, 2024
https://vem.vermont.gov/conference
State Emergency Operation Center Orientation
The purpose of this training is to provide an overview of the State Emergency Operations Center. This course is ONLY available to those who staff the Vermont State Emergency Operations Center.
LOCATION: DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT
DATE/TIME: September 17, 2024, 1:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: ICS-100 and WebEOC Sate User Training
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
October 2024
Mental Health First Aid Training
DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT
October 25, 2024, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Registration required via State Learning Management System
November 2024
L0146 Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) course provides a comprehensive overview of exercise design along with practical skill development. Using the same terminology and processes, this course will provide activities that will give participants an opportunity to interact with many of the templates and other materials that are provided by the National Exercise Division to ensure exercises are conducted in a consistent manner. Anyone who will be a member of an exercise design team or fulfill a role in one of the following areas of the exercise design process: design, development, conduct, evaluation or improvement process for exercise. The primary audience for the course is training officers, exercise managers, persons that will utilize the exercise and evaluation system and persons interested in becoming an HSEEP Evaluator for Vermont Emergency Management.
LOCATION: DCF Office, Brattleboro, VT
DATE/TIME: November 12-13, 2024, 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: IS-120
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
State Emergency Operation Center Orientation
The purpose of this training is to provide an overview of the State Emergency Operations Center. This course is ONLY available to those who staff the Vermont State Emergency Operations Center.
LOCATION: DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT
DATE/TIME: November 26, 2024, 1:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: ICS-100 and WebEOC Sate User Training
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System