Vermont Governor Phil Scott seeks major disaster declaration from White House

Days after floods devastated Vermont, causing residents to deal with historic amounts of damage, Governor Phil Scott is seeking aid from the White House.

Scott formally submitted a request to President Joe Biden for a Major Disaster Declaration for the Green Mountain State.

“Vermonters have faced incredible loss as a result of this historic and catastrophic flooding event,” Scott shared on Facebook. “While we’re still focused primarily on the immediate response, as we transition to the recovery phase, federal assistance will be critical to support families, businesses and infrastructure. With support from Washington, and the inspiring resiliency of Vermonters, we will be able to rebuild and recover.”

If Biden approves, Vermont would receive funding under the federal Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs, allowing communities in declared counties to receive at least 75% reimbursement for storm response and recovery, including repairs to public infrastructure.

Vermont communities are cleaning up from the floods that were more destructive in some places than 2011′s Tropical Storm Irene and regarded as the worst natural disaster since the 1927 floods, which killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction. Unlike that event, no injuries or fatalities have been reported with this week’s flooding.

Transportation officials were moving equipment to areas that were considered more flood-prone to prepare for the storms as they continued to evaluate damage, including to rail lines. Amtrak and other railroad service has been suspended.

One death in New York was blamed on the storm — a woman whose body was found after she was swept away in Fort Montgomery, a small Hudson River community about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of New York City.

A FEMA search-and-rescue team out of Beverly was deployed to Vermont to assist residents as recovery from the historic damage gets going.

A record-setting 5.28 inches of rain fell on Montpeiler Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Water in downtown Montpelier remained waist-deep Tuesday, shutting down roads and stranding residents.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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