HUD APPROVES VERMONT DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN
$21.6 million to help communities in Green Mountain State to rebuild from 2011 floods

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the approval of the State of Vermont’s disaster recovery plan totaling $21.6 million in emergency aid to help several communities throughout the Green Mountain State to recover from last year’s devastating flooding causes by Tropical Storm Irene.  With the acceptance of this disaster plan, the real work of long-term disaster recovery throughout the State can now begin. 

Provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, these grants will support long-term disaster recovery efforts in local communities devastated by last year’s disasters.

“Now that this plan is in place, it’s time to get down to the real business of rebuilding the housing and infrastructure damaged by last year’s flooding,” said Barbara G. Fields, HUD’s New England Regional Administrator.  “Vermont can now begin to implement its plan to make its neighborhoods whole again.”

On November 18, 2011, Congress appropriated $300 million in CDBG funds to support long-term disaster recovery in the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major disaster in 2011 (Public Law 112-55). Concurrently, Congress gave HUD the authority to allocate up to an additional $100 million for the recovery efforts. Secretary Shaun Donovan exercised HUD's full authority by targeting the maximum amount of CDBG funding allowed toward helping these most impacted state and local areas.

These funds are intended to confront unmet housing, business and infrastructure needs beyond those addressed by other forms of public and private assistance.  Using a combination of federal data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), HUD identified those states and local communities most impacted and requiring the greatest assistance to recover due to the devastating tornadoes in the Southeast and Missouri; the remnants of Hurricanes Irene and Lee in the Northeast and New England; severe flooding in parts of North Dakota; and destructive wildfires in Texas.  

Earlier this year, HUD allocated $21,660,211 to the State of Vermont which will target these resources in Washington, Windsor and Windham Counties which saw the greatest degree of damage, primarily flooding, from Tropical Storm Irene.  For more information, read the State’s disaster recovery plan.