Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) Director Eric Forand has submitted a request for a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine if the state qualifies for a federal major disaster declaration for flooding and resulting damage on June 23, 2024.
The request asks for assessments in Caledonia and Lamoille counties to determine if the state qualifies for a Public Assistance (PA) Disaster Declaration for the storm. A Public Assistance declaration would provide 75 percent reimbursement to communities for local storm damage repairs. Additional counties could be added to the request as data collection continues.
“Much of the state escaped damage,” Vermont Emergency Management Director Eric Forand said. “However, the storm trained on pockets of the state, resulting in severe damage to roads and other public infrastructure in the impacted communities. This will be an expensive recovery for those towns, and we are requesting an assessment to start the process of getting those municipalities financial help.”
An assessment by the state suggests damages to public infrastructure resulting from the storm to be more than $1.5 million. To qualify for a major disaster declaration, FEMA must verify at least $1.183 million in response and public infrastructure recovery costs. These costs include road repairs, debris removal, contractor expenses, and municipal employee overtime.
The assessments are expected to begin the week of July 8.