BARNARD, Vt. (WCAX) – Federal disaster relief is continuing to flow to Vermont communities damaged by flooding the past two summers — that’s the message from Vermont’s chief recovery officer. The town of Barnard still has roughly $2 million worth of repairs needed because of flood damage in 2023. But those repairs are currently on hold. Simply put, the money just isn’t there.
Barnard is probably best known for its general store on Route 12 across from Silver Lake. But dirt roads make up the majority of the town’s roads, and many were washed away two years ago.
“Ten to 15 of them were actually impassable initially,” said Barnard Selectboard member Richard Lancaster.
Emergency fixes were made, but some long-term repairs — including some embankments and a buckled bridge — have not been started. Lancaster says the town’s road budget just can’t handle the added costs. “We plan for probably $200,000 to $300,000 a year potential damage to our roads,” he said.
2023 damage in Barnard was ten times that but so far they have only been reimbursed for around $446,000.
“It’s slower than we would all like it to be, but we are seeing steady progress,” said Vt. Chief Recovery Officer Doug Farnham.
He says Vermont is applying for more than half a billion dollars in FEMA disaster aid for 2023 flood damage alone. The 2024 flood damage is another spreadsheet. FEMA payouts were paused at the beginning of the Trump administration, but Farnham says projects are once again being approved every week.
Reporter Adam Sullivan: It is somewhat normal operations when it comes to disaster relief for Vermont?
Doug Farnham: Yes, I would say we are still relatively normal. There is a good degree of uncertainty and fear… It has been a frustrating process for quite some time, and some towns have moved through it successfully; others are still fighting through that process.
Towns like Barnard, where the roads are passable, just maybe not in perfect condition. “We will respond the best we can with what we’ve got. We are also trying to mitigate some of the potential issues,” Lancaster said.
And with hurricane season right around the corner — and the potential for more flooding — town officials are worried that their budget woes could quickly be dealt another blow.
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