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Dear VLCT Members,
As you continue to respond to the catastrophic flooding in your communities, I wanted to reach out and provide a few resources that may help you respond and recover.
State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Activated
The State Emergency Operations Center has been activated and remains open 24 hours a day through the response phase of this disaster. If your municipality has an immediate need, please call the SEOC at 1-800-347-0488. The 800 number has been malfunctioning intermittently. If it is busy or not working, please call 802-244-8721.
RPC Local Liaison Reports
In the coming day(s), the regional planning commissions and Vermont Emergency Management will be reaching out to every municipality to complete a local liaison report to understand every municipality’s needs across the state.
Aerial Imagery Requests
Vermont Emergency Management has been receiving several requests for assistance with aerial imagery. If your community needs assistance with aerial imagery to conduct assessments, please contact the SEOC as soon as possible, as there is a statewide effort to consolidate these requests.
Volunteer Offers and Requests
The state has launched www.vermont.gov/volunteer to solicit volunteers to help support Vermonters affected by flooding. If your municipality has volunteer needs, you should email them to [email protected]. You can direct individuals interested in volunteering to the state’s website.
Vermont Alert Requests
If your municipality needs to issue a town-specific emergency alert to residents and would like to use the VT-Alert system, please email [email protected].
Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team Available
Municipalities may request assistance from VDART to help with pet-sheltering related to flooding. Reach out to the SEOC to request this assistance.
FEMA Public Assistance Tips
While we are likely weeks away from seeing FEMA officials on the ground to conduct public assistance visits, it’s never too early to be prepared. A few important reminders:
- Document everything – this includes taking A LOT of pictures and getting GPS coordinates! Organize your documentation by road (or road sections), bridge, etc.
- Track all expenses for this event in your general ledger – this includes staff time and equipment use.
- Keep detailed timesheets that show which hours were charged to this event, how (which road or road sections, bridges, administration etc.), and what pieces of equipment were used during these hours. Keep digital copies of these time sheets with your documentation.
- Learn more about what FEMA will be looking for in the Applicant's Guide for Submitting Public Assistance Documents and download the FEMA Public Assistance Checklist.
- Beware of having contractors conduct more than $250,000 of contract work without a proper procurement processes. (See How to Avoid the Top 10 Procurement Under Grant Mistakes and FEMA Grant Contracting FAQs.)
- Make sure your municipality has a Unique Entity Identification (UEI, formerly known as DUNS number) and an active registration with SAM.gov now – don’t wait.
Towns may use FEMA’s Public Assistance Project Templates to help track work. You may wish to study up on what Public Assistance is and how it will help your community recover costs. Lastly, municipalities are encouraged to hire contractors, using well-constructed contracts that include appropriate risk management and insurance requirements, such as those found here.
Report Flood Claims to VLCT PACIF (Your Insurer)
We’re ready to hear from our PACIF members when you’re ready to file a claim. Learn more about how to file a claim.
While VLCT’s physical offices remain closed at this time due to flooding in Montpelier, we remain 100 percent operational and open for our members. The City of Montpelier has done an excellent job keeping us safe, and we understand we may have some minor flooding in the office. Our team was ready for the storm, and we have remained online thanks to our continuity of operations plan and investments in remote work capabilities. Our whole team is just a phone call away at 800-649-7915.
Thank you for all the work you are doing to keep Vermonters safe and connected. Be safe and contact us if we can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
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