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From YouTube: Senator Bernie Sanders: Statewide Telephone Town Meeting on Vermont’s Flooding Disaster
Description
From the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch, Rep. Becca Balint, and Gov. Phil Scott hold a statewide telephone town meeting on Vermont’s flooding disaster on Wednesday, July 26 to answer questions and provide information on the federal and state response to the disaster, as well as how to access aid available to individuals, homeowners, farms, displaced employees, and small businesses.
7/25/2023
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A
Welcome
to
this
evening's
town
hall
on
Vermont's
flooding
disaster
with
Senator
Bernie
Sanders,
Senator,
Peter,
Welch,
congresswoman,
Becca,
ballant
and
Governor
Phil
Scott.
My
name
is
Katie
Van
haste
and
I'm
state
director
for
Senator
Bernie
Sanders.
We
appreciate
you
joining
this
evening
and
look
forward
to
an
excellent
conversation.
A
We
will
be
providing
information
to
you
today
about
assistance
for
individuals,
homeowners,
Farms
displaced
employees
and
small
businesses
impacted
by
the
flooding
tonight.
Our
Vermont
Congressional,
Delegation
and
Governor
are
joined
by
state
and
federal
officials
who
will
help
provide
information
and
answer
your
questions
about
the
state's
emergency
response,
insurance
coverage
and
many
other
issues.
If
you
want
to
ask
a
question
this
evening,
please
press
star
3
at
any
time
to
connect
with
one
of
our
team
members.
Again,
that
is
star
three.
We
will
take
your
name,
your
town
and
your
question.
A
We
are
going
to
do
our
best
tonight
to
get
to
as
many
of
you
as
possible
and
in
order
to
do
that,
we
ask
that
you
keep
your
questions
as
concise
as
possible
so
again
to
ask
a
question
at
any
time.
During
the
event
press
star
3.
with
that,
it
is
my
pleasure
to
introduce
your
Senator
Bernie
Sanders,
welcome,
senator.
B
Thank
you
all
very
much
for
being
on
the
phone
tonight.
The
agency
heads
and
your
elected
officials
are
going
to
do
our
best
to
provide
you
with
the
permanent
pertinent
information
that
you
need
and
to
answer
any
questions
that
you
might
have.
After
you
hear
from
the
elected
officials
and
the
agency
heads
we're
going
to
open
up
the
phone
lines
and
we're
going
to
try
to
take
as
many
questions
as
we
possibly
can.
We
have
already
received
almost
200
questions
from
vermonters
in
advance
of
this
town
meeting.
B
We're
obviously
not
going
to
be
able
to
answer
all
of
them
tonight,
but
we
will
be
getting
back
to
every
single
person
who
has
written
in
with
a
question.
I
don't
have
to
explain
to
anybody
who
has
been
impacted
by
the
flooding
as
to
what
that
has
meant.
It
has
disrupted
people's
lives.
It
has
driven
them
out
of
their
homes
and
businesses
and
run
up
huge
bills
in
many
cases
which
many
people
are
simply
not
able
to
afford
so
pure
and
simple.
B
This
has
been,
as
we
all
know,
a
disaster
for
Vermont.
During
the
last
several
weeks,
governor
Scott,
Senator,
Welch,
Congressman
balance
and
I
have
been
working
hard
to
make
sure
that
the
federal
government
responds
as
effectively
and
rapidly
as
it
can.
People
are
hurting
and
they
need
help
as
soon
as
possible
and
I'm
appreciative
that
the
Bison
Administration
has
been
supportive
of
those
efforts.
What
this
town
meeting
tonight
is
designed
to
do
is
to
get
the
word
out
about
what
you
may
be
entitled
to
and
share
some
information
about
the
application
process.
B
B
As
we
speak,
some
450
FEMA
staff
are
in
Vermont
assessing
damage
and
assisting
with
signups
14
teams
are
going
door
to
door
to
help
residents
sign
up
for
FEMA.
I
should
also
mention
that
the
federal
delegation
has
written
to
the
private
insurance
companies
in
the
state
to
make
sure
that
they
treat
all
vermonters
with
respect
and
pay
out
the
claims
that
policyholders
are
entitled
to.
If
people
are
having
problems
with
their
private
insurance
companies,
please
don't
hesitate
to
give
our
offices
a
ring.
B
Lastly,
clearly
more
work
needs
to
be
done
on
disaster
relief
and
Senator
Welch
congressman
and
I
working
with
the
governor
are
working
on
legislation
that
is
designed
to
address
the
too
many
gaps
in
what
the
federal
government
is
currently
funded
to
do
in
terms
of
disaster
relief.
So
with
that,
let
me
introduce
Senator
Peter
Welch
for
brief
remarks.
Peter.
C
In
many
of
our
Villages,
where
the
real
question
is
whether
we
can
reopen
it's
really
heartbreaking
and
it's
been
incredibly
inspiring
to
see
how
vermonters
have
come
to
the
aid
of
other
vermonters,
but
at
the
end
of
the
day,
there's
a
reality
that
folks
face
about
their
homes,
about
their
businesses,
about
their
farms
and
can
they
hang
on
and
keep
going
and
our
job.
All
of
us,
the
governor
in
the
Congressional
delegation,
is
to
do
everything
that
we
possibly
can
to
get
you
to
the
other
side
and
come
out
of
this.
C
We
in
the
Congressional
Delegation
are
going
to
coordinate
our
efforts
to
try
to
be
as
responsive
to
as
many
vermonters
as
quickly
as
we
can
and
that.
Secondly,
I
want
to
say
that
what
we're
hearing
from
homeowners
and
from
businesses
is
that
loans
don't
cut
it.
Grants
are
what
they
need,
and
that
is
going
to
be
something
that
we
have
to
contend
with,
but
that
decision
that
businesses
have
to
make
that
decision
that
homeowners
have
to
make.
Especially
in
this
really
tight
housing
market
is
very,
very
tough.
C
But
we
pledge
that
we
will
work
as
closely
together
to
make
certain
that
we
can
do
as
much
as
possible
as
quickly
as
possible.
We're
going
to
do
that.
The
one
final
thing
is
really
really
really
important
for
us
here
in
Washington,
Bernie,
Becca
and
me
to
have
documentation
or
in
an
estimate
of
what
the
damages
are,
because
we're
going
to
be
seeking
to
get
money
from
disaster
relief
that
is
going
to
help
from
honors
Farms
businesses
in
in
the
in
in
families.
C
So
document
your
your
loss,
2-1-1
and
that's
a
big
ask,
because
a
lot
of
folks
are
just
going
day
to
day
trying
to
keep
things
together,
but
that
is
a
tool
that
we
need
in
order
to
be
in
a
position
to
be
as
helpful
as
possible.
So
thank
you
and
I.
Thank
the
governor,
I
think
Bernie.
Thank
you
so
much
for
putting
this
together
and
back
up
for
being
out
there
and
we
pledge
to
work
together.
Thank
you.
Peter.
D
B
E
F
E
Be
clear,
I
know
how
devastating
this
has
been
for.
All
of
you,
I
want
to
assure
you
we'll
get
through
this,
but
it's
important
that
we
stick
together
as
vermonters
in
order
to
do
it,
but
politics
aside
and
so
forth,
which
we've
done
in
other
emergencies
for
over
two
weeks
now
we
focus
on
the
emergency
itself,
prioritizing
life
and
safety,
but
hopefully,
although
I'm
a
little
worried
about
tomorrow
or
the
worst
of
the
rain,
subsiding
we're
now
transition
into
the
recovery
phase,
and
this
work
starts
really
at
the
local
level.
E
So
I
appreciate
that
I
think
we
all
know
we're
going
to
need
more
help,
Federal
help,
because
we're
just
not
going
to
be
able
to
do
this
on
our
own.
But
here's
something
again
I
want
to
reiterate
with
you
in
order
to
get
help
for
individuals
from
FEMA
I
requested
that
major
disaster
declaration
up
to
the
entire
state
and
at
that
point
each
counties
is
analyzed
to
certify
overall
needs.
E
So
if
you
suffered
any
damage
to
your
home
at
all
or
property
or
portrait
damage
to
2-1-1
and
I
know,
it
may
not
seem
like
a
priority
to
make
a
report
when
dealing
with
all
you
have
to
deal
with,
and
some
don't
want
to
ask
for
the
help,
because
they
feel
as
though
they
can
take
care
of
it
themselves.
And
many
humble
vermonters
have
told
me:
I,
don't
want
to
take
money
away
from
those
who
really
need
it,
but
it's
important
to
report
that
damage
to
211,
not
just
for
yourself,
but
because
it
helps
everyone.
E
It
helps
your
neighbors.
So
please
do
that
and
remember.
This
is
damage
to
personal
property,
so
it
includes
homes,
garages,
equipment,
Vehicles,
it's
pretty
Broad
and
this
reporting
will
help
FEMA
make
its
determinations
about
whether
a
county
is
eligible
for
individual
assistance.
So
if
there's
one
take
away
from
this
meeting,
is
that
we
need
your
help
to
report
your
damage
or
help
others
do
the
same,
so
go
to
vermont211.org
or
just
call
2-1-1
and
I
know
you're
getting
a
lot
of
information
today.
E
G
A
B
H
Senator
Sanders,
thank
you
so
very
much
Senator
Welch
and
Congressman
oil
and
balance.
Thank
you
so
much
for
the
opportunity
to
brief
this
evening.
I'll
give
a
quick
overview.
The
original
major
disaster
declaration
that
was
issued
by
the
president
on
the
14th
of
July
has
been
amended
five
times
since
the
original
declaration
we've
added
two
additional
counties
for
individual
assistance,
Caledonia
and
orange,
and
our
Orleans
is
still
under
review
and
11
Counties
have
been
added
for
public
assistance,
meaning
assistance
to
help
rebuild
the
infrastructure.
H
The
senator
put
out
Senator
Sanders,
put
out
but
I,
think
it's
important
to
note
that
we
have
464
people
in
Vermont
right
now
helping
we
have
disaster,
Survivor
assistance
teams
that
have
visit
over
6
800
homes
and
up
to
12
over
7
000
today,
because
as
of
yesterday
and
350
businesses
and
in
fact,
we're
able
to
search
the
19
communities.
Today,
we
have
seven
of
our
mobile
intake
registration,
tenants
where
people
can
go
up
to
sign
for
assistance.
E
H
H
As
of
last
evening,
3074
residents
have
applied
for
individual
assistance
and,
as
the
senator
said,
4.7
million
dollars
has
been
approved
in
4.2
million
dollars
is
in
the
bank
accounts
of
individuals,
who've
applied,
we've
also
had
2000
over
2
000
homes
inspected
for
damages
and
over
a
thousand
of
those
have
been
completed
and
eight
residents
have
received
the
maximum
Grant
possible
of
forty
one
thousand
dollars.
Some
key
points.
I
would
like
to
make.
H
H
H
B
I
Thank
you,
Senator
Sanders,
so
much
happy
to
be
here,
hello,
everyone,
Darcy,
Carter,
I'm,
the
Local
District
director
for
the
local
Vermont
SP
FBA
office.
We
do
have
assistance
available
now
and
we
have
been
improving
loans.
Already.
We've
got
some
late,
breaking
information.
Senator,
sorry
I
couldn't
provide
that
sooner.
We
have
approved
25
Home
Loans,
those
after
loans
for
1.275
million
dollars,
and
we
have
received
overall
215
applications.
So
we
know
no
one
wants
a
loan,
but
we
totally
get
that
believe
me.
I
So
we
are
working
as
hard
as
we
can
to
make
sure
we
are
helping
with
The
Gap.
That's
not
going
to
be
served
by
other
programs,
so
we
were
working
with
all
the
other
programs.
We
want
you
to
know
that
so
Vermont
is
able
to
offer
through
SBA
Disaster
Assistance
to
homeowners,
renters
businesses,
private
non-profits
and
that's
to
cover
that
uninsured
loss,
that's
not
covered
by
any
of
their
sources,
such
as
insurance
or
grants.
Things
like
that-
and
this
is
of
course
due
to
the
flood
disaster.
I
So
our
assistance,
it
is
in
the
form
of
loans,
not
grants.
These
are
very
low
interest
loans,
there's
no
payment.
The
whole
first
year,
no
interest
is
accrued
for
the
first
year,
so
that
gives
you
some
time
to
consider
other
options.
We
really
strongly
recommend
that
you
take
a
look
at
the
option
of
applying
by
the
deadline,
because
you
can
always
decline
the
loan,
but
you
can't
apply
after
the
deadline
so
for
physical
disaster
loans
for
all
of
those
homeowners,
renters
businesses,
private
nonprofits,
it's
September
12th
of
this
year.
I
So
it's
coming
up
pretty
quickly,
so
we're
here
to
help
you
like
FEMA.
We
follow
their
lead.
We
are
at
the
disaster
centers.
We
have
three
business
recovery
centers.
You
can
meet
in
person
with
people
to
go
over
the
application
and
there
is
some
foreign
language
assistance
also
available.
We
just
heard
through
the
FEMA
assistance.
So
we
encourage
you
to
call
us
we're
at
802-828-4422
again
828-4422
the
local
SBA
office,
and
we
will
get
you
where
you
need
to
go
to
get
the
right
assistance.
Just
briefly.
I
just
wanted
to
mention
for
homeowners.
I
You
can
get
up
to
200
000
on
the
real
estate
damage,
forty
thousand
for
personal
property,
and
that
can
include
automobiles.
The
rate
is
2.5
percent
and
terms
can
be
as
long
as
30
years
for
businesses,
private
nonprofits,
small
agricultural
co-ops.
We
have
two
types
of
disaster
loans,
the
disaster,
physical
loan
for
that
damage,
and
also
economic
injury
to
help
you
meet
your
financial
obligations
and
operating
expenses
due
to
the
business
Interruption.
Those
rates
are
also
low.
Four
percent.
I
J
I
Sba.Gov
forward
slash
disaster
or
again
give
us
a
call
and
we'll
get
you
to
one
of
the
centers
closest
to
you.
If
that
works
better,
so
802-828-4422
we're
ready
to
help,
and
we
know
how
much
you're
suffering
so
just
don't
be
shy.
Give
us
a
call
here
locally
and
we'll
get
you
to
the
right
folks.
Thank.
B
F
Thank
you
Senator
good
evening.
Everyone
thanks
so
much
for
making
this
happen.
Thanks
to
governor
Scott
and
Senator
Sanders
Senator,
Welch,
representative
ballen,
and
your
amazing
teams
for
getting
out
to
help
firm
honors
from
day.
One
I
want
to
start
by
saying.
I
spent
the
day
today
in
Rutland
at
the
FEMA
disaster,
recovery
center
and
I
met
with
folks
like
Jackie
and
Catherine
and
Mike
and
Steve,
all
of
whom
were
impacted
by
flood
and
storm
water
damage.
Here's
the
most
important
part
of
what
I
have
to
say
this
evening.
F
All
of
my
local
staff
in
Vermont
and
New
Hampshire
are
going
to
be
rotating
through
the
FEMA
disaster
recovery
centers
throughout
the
coming
weeks.
So
everything
I
talk
about
tonight,
you'll
be
able
to
learn
about
and
talk
to
a
real
person
by
visiting
one
of
those
centers
or
calling
our
phone
number
which
I'll
share
at
the
end.
Now
USDA
is
huge
right,
but
rural
development
supports
rural
housing,
business,
Community
facilities
and
infrastructure.
F
We
are
helpful
right
now,
but
we
are
also
going
to
be
helpful
for
the
long-term
recovery
for
public
assistance
in
Wastewater,
storm
water,
Community
infrastructure
and
Community
facilities.
Repair
over
the
long
term,
during
a
disaster,
we
start
with
our
individual
assistants
with
homeowners,
and
we
are
generally
working
with
three
groups
of
people.
If
you
are
a
renter
and
you
have
been
displaced,
you
may
be
eligible
to
move
into
a
government
subsidized
multi-family
housing
facility
that
has
vacancies.
Some
of
these
are
in
Vermont
and
there
are
a
lot
in
other
states.
F
Our
teams
can
help
you
find
that
place
and
get
you
connected
to
that
landlord
or
property
manager.
If
you
are
a
very
low
income
homeowner
and
if
you
own
your
own
home,
then
there
was
storm
damage.
We
have
grant
funding
that
can
be
up
to
four
forty
thousand
six
hundred
and
seventy
five
dollars.
It
would
come
after
insurance
and
any
FEMA
benefits
it
can
help
you
repair
your
home
due
to
the
flood
damage
you've
experienced
and
then.
F
Finally,
if
you
are
a
current
homeowner
who
has
a
mortgage
with
us,
we
have
a
few
options
for
you
to
waive
late
fees,
extend
payment
assistant
options
and
even
do
a
payment
moratorium
for
six
months.
If
you
need
most
of
our
assistance
is
income
eligible,
it
is
for
the
most
vulnerable
vermonters,
so
you
do
have
to
qualify
for
our
funding
with
your
income
by
household
now
our
Vermont
Montpelier
State
office
has
been
flooded,
just
like
many
of
you
and
we
are
a
two-state
jurisdiction.
F
F
B
G
We
have
a
number
of
programs,
a
great
number
of
programs
that
are
in
effect
now
they
are
not
contingent
on
a
a
either
presidential
or
secretarial
Declaration
of
disaster.
However,
I
would
love
to
reiterate
what
the
governor
said.
We
need
you
in
farmers
and
producers
to
report
their
losses
to
their
local
County
FSA
offices,
if
you
are
not
sure
where
your
County
FSA
office
is-
and
we
have
nine
of
them
around
the
state,
they
can
be
found
by
looking
on
our
website,
which
is
fsa.usda.gov.
G
We
work
very
closely
with
our
partners
in
the
natural
resource
conservation
service
on
assessing
damage
and
needs,
and
we
have
very
parallel
programs
that
can
help
in
this
situation.
One
quick
thing
about
a
secretarial
declaration
and
we
need
again
Farmers
to
report
so
I
can
we
can
report
to
USDA
in
Washington
the
level
of
damage
again,
as
governor
Scott
said,
even
if
you
do
not
want
the
help
or
don't
think
you
deserve
the
help.
This
all
helps
us
report.
Accurate
numbers
for
Washington.
G
A
secretarial
declaration
will
enable
us
to
have
low
interest
loans,
which
no
not
Farmers,
don't
really
want,
but
they're
below
present
normal
rates
of
interest,
and
they
enable
Farmers
to
actually
refinance
existing
operating
loans
to
get
a
better
lower
rate
and
free
up
some
of
their
hard-earned
cash.
John.
B
A
We're
ready
to
go
as
a
reminder
for
folks
star
three
is
the
way
you
ask
a
question.
So
if
you
have
a
question
for
our
members
of
Congress
our
governor
and
our
panelists
this
evening,
you
can
press
star
three.
We
also
have
some
additional
folks
on
the
line
who
are
going
to
help
answer
some
technical
questions
for
us.
K
A
Senator,
if
I
can
before
I
begin
taking
a
question,
I
just
want
to
underscore
what
John
and
the
governor
have
said
about
reporting
your
damage.
Since
this
call
has
begun
this
evening,
we
just
got
notification
that
Orleans
County
now
qualifies
for
individual
assistance,
so
that
is
what
reporting
your
damage
can
help
do
for
your
fellow
vermonters.
So
with
that
I'm
going
to
take
our
first
question,
our
first
question
is
going
to
come
from
Jessica
in
Berlin
and
Jessica
has
a
question
about
assistance
for
renters
Jessica.
You
are
now
live
on.
The
call.
L
H
Yes,
sir,
yes,
sir
on
the
phone,
yes
ma'am,
yes,
please
please
go
to
one
of
our
disaster
recovery,
centers,
where
we
have
applicant
Specialists
to
be
able
to
assist
you.
We
have
them
at
the
armory
in
Waterbury.
We
have
them
at
the
auditorium
in
Berry
and
they
are
also
at
88
Merchants
Row
in
Rutland.
B
A
M
M
Nature
is
so
big
compared
to
the
resources
that
we
have
there's
several
companies
around
the
world
that
have
that
are
developing
carbon
removal,
atmosphere,
carbon
removal
and,
in
fact,
the
US
government.
The
doe
has
started
a
program
called
carbon
negative
shot,
providing
grants
under
the
department
of
energy,
but
their
funding
is
very,
very
small.
B
Right,
let
me
just
jump
in,
and
you
know,
you've
raised
a
very
important
question
and
the
issue
here
and
I'd
like
to
hear
from
other
people
on
the
phone
you
know
Peter
Governor
Becca
here
is
the
crisis
that
we
Face.
Nobody
thinks
that
it
makes
sense
to
do
the
same
thing
that
we
did.
You
know
during
Irene.
We
do
it
now,
in
five
years
from
now
we're
going
to
have
another
disaster.
B
Climate
change
is
real
everything
being
equal
unless
we
got
our
act
together
and
some
of
us,
you
know,
your
federal
delegation
is
working
really
hard
to
try
to
address
this
problem,
but
we
don't
want
to
do
the
same
thing
and
go
through
the
same
process,
time
and
time
again,
but
you
know,
in
my
view,
we
need
to
be
extraordinarily
bold.
Working
with
China
working
was
the
major
emitter
in
the
world
of
carbon
working
with
other
countries,
and
we
also
do
a
lot
of
have
to
do
a
lot
of
thinking.
Where
do
we
rebuild?
B
E
Well
again,
I
think,
there's
we
have
to
take
two
approaches:
we're
not
going
to.
We
have
to
transition
to
a
carbon-less
society.
We
know
that
it's
going
to
take
some
time.
We
have
to
make
sure
that
we
have
the
grid
capacity
to
go
to
electrification.
That
will
help,
but
none
of
this
anything
that
we
do
isn't
instantaneous.
So,
at
the
same
time
we're
doing
that
we've
got
to
increase,
we
have
to
hard.
E
B
D
Just
briefly,
I
know
that
there
was
incredible
Investments
made
in
the
117th
through
the
invade.
Excuse
me,
the
inflation
reduction
act
really
looking
to
building
back
more
resilience,
and-
and
this
is
something
that
we
also
learned
from
Irene-
a
lot
of
the
changes
that
were
made
in
culverts
in
Vermont
because
of
us
looking
ahead
to
how
these
these
storms
would
become
more
deadly,
and
so
we
have
made
changes
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that.
But
of
course
we
do
have
to
reduce
our
carbon
emissions,
as
the
others
have
said.
B
N
Evening
this
is
Michael
Harrington,
commissioner,
for
the
Vermont
Department
of
Labor.
Thank
you
for
the
question
out
of
Johnson
individuals,
including
business
owners
who
have
lost
work
are
eligible
either
for
regular
unemployment
insurance,
or
they
may
also
be
eligible
for
disaster
unemployment
assistance.
The
first
thing
that
anybody
needs
to
do
in
order
to
see
whether
they're
eligible
for
benefits
is
to
open
an
initial
claim
for
regular
unemployment
insurance,
and
they
can
do
that
at
our
website
labor.vermont.gov.
N
Once
they
file
a
claim.
The
department
will
determine
if
they
are
eligible
for
regular
unemployment
insurance
and
if
they
are
not
eligible
for
regular
unemployment
insurance.
But
their
claim
is
specific
to
the
disaster.
We
will
reach
out
to
them
directly
and
help
them
file
a
disaster.
Unemployment,
good.
A
O
Hi,
thank
you
yeah
I
I'm
concerned,
because,
even
though
they
say
they
don't,
when
you
apply
when
you're
applying
for
FEMA,
they
ask
for
your
insurance
information
and
you
have
to
go
through
them
first,
but,
as
we
all
know,
even
though
they
say
they
don't
your
insurance,
they
will
Jack
up
your
rates
and
that's
long
term
and
and
who
can
afford
that
long
term?
Is
there
a
way
to
apply
for
FEMA
without
having
to
do
the
insurance.
P
Yeah
I'm
the
commissioner
of
the
Department
of
Financial
regulation.
Thank
you
for
that
question.
From
Barry
I'll
stay
I'll.
Take
the
insurance
part
of
that
question.
You
should
file
a
claim
with
your
insurance
company,
that
is
part
of
the
process.
We've
been
emphasizing
the
211
number
and
the
FEMA
registration,
but
we
also
have
to
file
a
claim
with
your
insurance
company
and
what
the
department
issued
immediately
after
the
disaster
was
an
alert
to
the
industry
that
they
cannot
rate.
P
A
K
B
E
Two
class
three
roads
as
well
due
to
damage
from
this
event,
so
help
us
here,
give
us
a
call
at
the
seoc
or
give
your
district
coordinator
from
I.
Think
statistics
up
there,
but
but
just
give
us
a
call
and
we'll
point
you
in
the
right
direction,
and
we
should.
We
have
help
available
and
resources
available
for
you.
A
Okay,
thank
you
Chris.
Our
next
caller
here
is
coming
from
I'm.
Sorry,
we
had
a
change
in
our
system
here.
Our
next
caller
is
coming
from
Londonderry.
It's
going
to
be
Patricia
in
Londonderry.
Who
has
a
question
about
how
to
get
help
for
repairs
to
her
driveway
Patricia
you're
now
on
hello,
Senator,
both
senators
and
governor,
and
thank
you
so
much
and
our
representative.
Thank
you
so
much
for
having
this
to
inform
me
for
sure,
and
others
have
already
told
about
it
as
well.
Q
A
So
it's
kind
of
a
last
minute
thing
she's
having
that
problem
too,
and
that's
that's
what
that's
a
livestock
issue,
but
so
anyway,
I
did
have
an
excavator
come.
He
said.
If
I
don't
get
it
repaired,
it's
going
to
happen
again
with
the
next.
Maybe
not
the
next
rainfall
that
we
had
or
next
Irene,
but
it's
going
so
he's
suggesting
that
I
do
I,
consider
getting
it
done,
which
is
certainly
out
of
my
budget.
H
J
I
am
on,
thank
you,
so
much
will
so
for
the
caller.
Thank
you
for
your
call,
please
be
sure
to
apply
for
FEMA
assistance.
Fema
may
be
able
to
look
at
that.
It
just
depends
on
the
situation,
but
private
roads
and
bridges
is
something
that
we
look
at
if
it's
the
primary
residence
and
there
is
an
access
issue,
so
please
apply
first.
A
R
B
A
A
A
A
A
S
This
is
the
second
time
that
I've
been
there
for
about
30
years.
Second
time
that
the
town
has
been
totally
devastated
by
floods
secondary
to
both
of
those
rivers
over
flooding
so
and
our
roadways,
obviously
in
the
bridges
need
to
be
attentive,
so
I
didn't
know
if
it's
possible
to
utilize
either
the
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
or
some
other
government
agency
to
help
us
for
now
and
for
the
future.
B
H
Yes,
sir,
thank
you
very
much
so
as
part
of
the
original
declaration
from
the
president,
he
authorized
has
a
mitigation
Statewide,
so
that
is
an
Avenue
for
the
state
to
utilize
to
start
building
in
resiliency,
and
it
has
Vermont
has
a
great
has
a
mitigation
program
with
regards
to
the
using
other
agencies
that
certainly
can
be
looked
at.
It
depends
upon
the
type
of
infrastructure
and
what
is
needed.
Fema
has
the
ability
to
to
work
with
other
government
agencies
like
we
have.
H
E
Well
again
appreciate
the
question:
I
know
a
lot
of
folks
go
to
that
almost
immediately
after
a
flood
that
we
should
be
dredging
our
streams
and
so
forth
and
leaving
some
of
the
pressures
in
some
of
the
towns,
but
a
lot
of
what
we're
seeing
is
due
to
climate
change
or
an
Incredible
amount
of
volumes
of
water.
That's
coming
in
and
I'm
not
saying
that
we
don't
don't
have
to
dredge
some
parts
of
our
streams.
But
that's
about
the
answer.
E
We
need
storage
capacity
in
in
order
to
do
that,
because
when
you
have
taken
in
your
your
town,
for
instance,
Johnson,
if
you
just
Harden
your
Banks,
raise
your
raise
and
even
dredge,
it's
just
going
to
impact
Jeffersonville
and
Cambridge,
because
the
water
has
to
go
somewhere.
It's
going
to
continue.
E
So
we
have
to
to
provide
resiliency
mitigation
measures
and
we're
looking
at
all
that,
after
any
event,
like
listen,
we've
been
successful
in
some
areas:
Brandon,
for
instance,
we
upsize
a
major
major
water
Corridor
through
the
the
downtown
and
that's
held
up
really
well
in
preventing
some
flooding.
So
we
will
be
taking
a
look
to
see
what
we
can
do
for
Johnson
and
other
communities
Montpelier
and
Barry
as
well,
Ludlow
and
others.
So
it's
a
constant,
constant
effort.
A
A
I
was
pretty
fortunate
this
year
with
like
restructuring
my
business
and
falling
into
a
new
model
where
I
decide
directly
to
One
Restaurant
Group
I,
currently
grow
on
about
eight
Acres
and
as
produce
becomes
available,
then
gets
turned
over
to
this
restaurant
group
that
then
uses
it
in
the
Mainstay
dishes,
as
well
as
packages
it
as
part
of
like
a
pasta
CSA
for
the
first
time.
This
is
primary.
I
finally,
have
like
a
stable,
reliable
income
that
I
didn't
have
to
Chase
business
for
and
I
am
directly
one
of
those
folks.
G
Yes,
I'm,
of
course,
very
sorry
to
hear
that
I,
don't
know
if
you
have
dealt
with
FSA
before
I
would
first
of
all
urge
you
to
call
your
local
County
office
and
I?
Am
you
I
believe
playing
field
is
in
Washington
County
and
your
local
direct
office
for
Washington
county
is
in
Williston
and
so
the
phone
number
there
is
802
288
-8155.
G
B
G
A
Thank
you,
Kate.
Thank
you,
Senator
and
thank
you
John.
Our
next
question.
Senator
is
going
to
come
from
our
registration
questions.
This
comes
from
Thomas
who's
from
South,
Londonderry
and
Thomas
wants
to
know.
When
will
FEMA
public
assistance
for
towns
be
given
the
green
light
to
start
the
process?
This
is
assistance.
The
town
of
Londonderry
needs
yesterday,
Thomas
says
winter
seems
like
a
long
way
away.
We
have
so
much
work
to
do
before
then.
What
can
we
expect.
H
Yes,
sir
I
will
thank
you
very
much
so
fortunately,
we've
had
11
counties
been
declared
for
public
assistance
for
all
categories
and
the
state
is
executing
their
applicants
brief
to
talk
to
applicants
about
how
to
move
forward
that
the
most
important
thing
is
is
towns
are
encouraged
to
Begin
work
immediately
right,
don't
wait
on
FEMA
start
doing
the
work
immediately
and
we
have
a
public
assistant
teams
coming
into
Vermont
to
work
with
the
towns
on
on
the
FEMA
program.
But
you
know,
please
don't
wait
on
FEMA
to
start.
Thank
you,
sir.
A
T
H
Yes,
sir
I
will
and
I
think
there's
two
separate
things
going
on.
Sir
first
is
for
you've
applied
for
individual
assistants
and
and
it's
a
very
quick
process
and
I'll
punt
to
Chelsea
on
that,
and
the
second
thing
is
the
condemning
of
the
properties
is
actually
part
of
the
the
the
communities
flood
insurance
program,
and
so
it's
really
the
community's
decision
on
on
the
value
of
the
property
Kelsey
on
the
individual
assistance
timeline
for
assistance
to
you.
J
Absolutely
thank
you
will
so
for
the
individual
assistance
program.
It
would
depend
on
how
you
elected
to
receive
your
funds,
whether
you
signed
up
with
an
electronic
funds
transfer.
Are
you
requested
a
check
to
be
sent
in
the
mail?
The
electronic
funds
transfers
can
be
fairly
quick
as
well
as
notification
if
you've
signed
up
for
an
online
account,
if
you
did
elect
to
go
by
mail,
sometimes
that
can
take
a
little
bit
longer
because
that's
dependent
on
the
post
office
service.
A
U
I
Thank
you
Katie
and
Senator
Sanders.
We
would
certainly
take
a
look
at
an
application
from
new
Peggy.
We
don't
have
grants
at
SBA,
but
we
do
have
assistance
that
businesses
are
eligible
for,
but
definitely
I
know
everyone's
Keen
to
see
got
the
governor's
new
program.
That's
coming
out.
More
details
are
going
to
be
coming
soon
on
that
and
it's
just
sometimes
it's
a
matter
of
piecing
together
several
sources
to
cover
the
issue
that
you're
dealing
with
I'm.
So
sorry
to
hear
about
that.
I
But
we
would
really
encourage
you
to
apply
and
we
do
have
a
center
in
Ludlow.
Also,
you
can
apply
online
and
if
you
would
like
to
call
our
office
again,
it's
802-828-4422
again.
It's
just
keeping
an
option
open.
You
know,
go
ahead
and
apply
and
or
meet
with
someone
in
our
Center
and
talk
about.
You
know
more
of
your
specifics.
E
Yeah,
why
don't
you?
Let
me
go
first
here
tomorrow.
If
you
tune
into
our
press
conference,
we'll
be
talking
about
the
program
that
we
promised
we've
put
together,
we
we
scrape
together
somewhat
robbing
teaser
to
pay
Paul
and
put
together
20
million
dollars
for
this
effort
and
I
just
want
to
level
set
expectations.
Here,
it's
not
enough.
It's
not
going
to
come
anywhere
near
what
we
need
to
help
our
businesses.
E
B
C
Well,
you
know
Bernie
and
back
in
the
governor,
you
know
we're
out
in
everybody.
Who's
had
a
loss
at
the
firm
at
their
home
at
their
business
is
very
particular,
and
what
can
be
really
frustrating
is
you
need
help
immediately
and
there
is
some
individual
assistance
that
is
available,
but
you
have
to
go
through
the
process
and
you
know
that's
an
awful
lot
to
ask
of
people
when
they've
suffered
such
catastrophic
loss,
but
we
do
have
to
go
through
it
and
what
we
can
do
is
try
to
be
helpful.
C
You
know,
Bernie,
Beck
and
I
are
going
to
coordinate
and
case
work.
The
governor,
of
course,
is
all
in
in
has
been
everywhere,
and
we
appreciate
Governor
Scott's
leadership
here
and
at
a
certain
point,
we're
going
to
have
to
be
asking
for
money
to
a
fund.
The
relief
people
need
the
real
frustration
is
everybody
needs
help
like
today,
and
whether
we
get
that
or
not
each
of
us
will
do
our
level
best
to
try
to
help
vermonters
get
through
this.
We
will
get
through
it.
C
C
So
we'll
just
be
doing
everything
we
can
and
cooperating
together
and
what
I
do
have
to
say.
That's
so
wonderful
is
to
be
having
the
whole
delegation
in
the
whole
state
government
under
governor
Scott,
working
together
to
try
to
be
as
responsive
as
we
can
and
we're
sensitive
to
the
frustrations
and
challenges
that
folks
have
they've
suffered.
Such
a
serious
loss.
D
Briefly,
what
I
would
add
it?
One
of
the
things
I've
been
doing
is
reaching
out
to
other
members
within
Congress
who
have
had
natural
disasters
in
their
districts
in
the
in
the
recent
past
and
been
getting
Insight
from
them
as
to
where
to
go
looking
for
additional
funds,
and
that
has
been
fruitful
and
I
have
been
trying
to
chase
down
some
some
things
that
we
may
not
have
on
our
radar
screen.
Yet
so
we're
just
going
to
continue
to
do
that.
A
And
Senator,
we
only
have
time
for
a
couple
more
questions,
so
we're
going
to
try
to
get
two
more
in
here,
so
our
next
caller
and
Senator
Welch
just
mentioned
grandparents
who
are
helping
grandchildren.
Our
next
caller
is
a
grandchild
who's,
seven
years
old,
their
name
is
Harper
and
they're
calling
for
help
for
their
grandmother
who
had
a
food
truck
that
was
destroyed.
Harper.
Can
you
hear
us
you're
now
on
the
call
yeah.
H
J
A
S
V
Yeah,
thank
you
will
and
thanks
for
that
question.
So
there
are
a
couple
of
opportunities
or
for
residents
to
seek
buyouts.
What
I
would
first
do
is
contact
your
local
emergency
management
director
and
they
will
get
in
touch
with
the
state
Hazard
mitigation
officer.
I
know
the
state
of
Vermont
is:
is
soliciting
communities
for
those
that
are
interested
in
the
buyout
programs
and
there's
a
couple
of
different
programs
that
they
that
they're
looking
at,
including
the
the
FEMA
Hazard
mitigation
grant
program.
V
W
V
B
Commissioner,
thank
you
very
much
and
we
will
do
that.
All
right,
I
think
we're
gonna
have
to
wrap
this
up.
Among
other
things,
Peter
and
I
are
gonna
have
to
go
down
and
vote.
Let
me
just
thank
everybody.
Who's
on
the
line
and
people
have
asked
the
questions
and
thank
the
governor
and
Peter
and
Becker
and
and
all
of
the
folks
at
the
federal
and
state
agencies.
The
truth
is
during
the
last
couple
of
weeks,
all
these
people
have
been
working
tirelessly
and
doing
a
great
job
under
very
difficult
conditions.
B
E
Oh
again,
thank
you,
Senator
Sanders,
for
putting
this
together
and
Senator
Welch
Congressman
woman
ballot
for
all
you've
done
for
us
already.
What
you're
going
to
do
y'all
are
my
team
at
the
state
governments
and
all
our
federal
and
local
partners
after
everything
they're
doing
to
help
us
through
this
emergency,
and
this
is
a
message
to
vermonters.
I
I
know
how
hard
this
is
for
you,
and
especially
if
you've
lost
your
homes
or
seen
you're.
E
Seeing
your
property
damage,
your
business
is
lost
or
everything's
gone,
but
please
know
we're
going
to
do
everything
in
our
power
to
help
you
recover
everything
we
can
possibly
do
to
help
you
get
back
on
your
feet
a
little
bit
black,
stronger
and
I
know
we'll
get
through
this,
but
but
just
now,
we've
we've
got
you.
We've
got
you
covered
as
best
we
can
here.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
Peter.
C
And
working
together
and
I
just
want
to
emphasize
again
because
everybody
who
suffered
any
damage
can
do
to
be
helpful
to
everyone
else
is
to
report
it.
That's
the
tool,
the
information
that
Bernie,
Becca
and
I
need
to
be
effective
here
to
advocate
for
the
funds
that
will
help
us
recover.
Thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you.
Peter
Beckham.
D
A
last
comment
here
for
me
is
that
I
know
that
this
disaster
has
brought
up
so
many
memories
and
Trauma
for
vermonters,
even
from
from
past
emergencies
as
well-
and
this
is
the
kind
of
suffering
that
sometimes
people
don't
see
right
off
the
bat.
If
you
are
in
crisis
or
you're
feeling
overwhelmed.
Please
call
one
of
those
hotlines
numbers
that
we
gave
earlier
1-800-985-5990.
D
1-800-985-5990
or
988
once
again,
988
vermonters
have
been
great
about
helping
each
other
out
digging
each
other's
basements
out
and
helping
turn
their
driveways,
but
we
also
need
to
give
each
other
patience
and
grace
through
this
long
recovery.
It's
going
to
be
hard
for
a
lot
of
people
and
we
gotta
continue
to
support
them
emotionally
as
well.
Thanks
so
much.