Source: Burlington FreePress, 6/15/11, by Joel Banner Baird
“Federal aid is en route to individuals, businesses and municipalities in seven Vermont counties affected by recent flooding, bringing an influx of federal dollars to help repair “tens of millions” of dollars in damage, Gov. Peter Shumlin says.
The big surprise was approval of outright grants to individuals of up to $30,200 for building repairs, lost possessions and emergency spending — as well as low interest loans of up to $240,000, Shumlin said during an announcement Wednesday night in Burlington.
“This was a long-shot for Vermont,” he said. “This is big help in tough times.”
Shumlin said the persistence of high water in Lake Champlain makes accurate damage estimates difficult, but the toll of lake and river flooding certainly has run in the “tens of millions” of dollars.
Federal dollars greatly will expand state efforts and will help offset damage sustained from April 23 to June 6 in Addison, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille and Orleans counties…”