Administering your flood hazard regulations: making Substantial Damage (SD) Determinations and Substantial Improvement (SI) Determinations Training

Friday, July 28, 2023 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Many towns in Vermont have been hit hard by recent flooding, many properties have sustained flood damage. Other than quick emergency level repairs, permanent repairs/improvement work in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) needs to be permitted where appropriate by the Town. Additionally, municipalities in the NFIP are required to perform Substantial Damage determinations for structures in the SFHA. 

Join us this Friday for a 2-hour training to learn about how to undertake this process. Vermont DEC Floodplain Mangers and a support team from Florida Emergency Management will guide local officials though the process of administering your flood hazard regulations and making those important making Substantial Damage (SD) Determinations and Substantial Improvement (SI) Determinations.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86123485780?pwd=RUYxTWlodktXbURhZ2ZlZ28zVDlCUT09&from=addon

Meeting ID: 861 2348 5788 | Passcode: 114014

Call in number: +1(309) 205-3325 or +1(312) 626-6799

Physical Location: CVRPC Offices, 2^nd Floor, 29 Main Street, Montpelier (above Walgreens, please enter through the side door - elevator out of service due to flooding. Parking located on Barre Street. If Main Street is open to general traffic, parking may be available at the rear of building.)

An announcement from DEC will be sent later with additional virtual trainings options.

If you are unable to attend or would like additional assistance in administering your flood hazard regulations and making determinations please contact Clare Rock at rock@cvregion.com

FEMA DR4720 Applicant Briefings in Central Vermont

Applicants in the counties of Chittenden, Lamoille, Orleans, Caledonia, Washington, Addison, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, Bennington and Windham should attend at least 1 applicant briefing to discuss how to apply for the FEMA Public Assistance program.  Applicants can include Towns, State agencies and Certain Non-Profits with 501c3.

Waterbury - Monday, July 31 130 pm virtual one after the 1 pm situational meeting

Click here to join the meeting

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YjA2YjU5OGMtMjE3Yi00MTk2LWJkM2ItMzBhMDM5OTBkNWYy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2220b4933b-baad-433c-9c02-70edcc7559c6%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22be9e91f6-8ece-4269-9161-8819ca6a27bc%22%7d

Meeting ID: 229 408 300 165 | Passcode: aQvBnF

Waterbury- Friday August 4 at 10 am, In-person SEOC 45 State Drive, Waterbury

Tactical Basin Planning for Flood Resilience 

July 31st, 2023 | 12:00 - 12:45 pm - Online via Microsoft Teams 

Join the Agency of Natural Resources for a conversation with Watershed Planning Program's Tactical Basin Planning team to learn how the Tactical Basin Planning process can be used to identify flood resilience opportunities and priorities. To attend, please register here. 

VEM Hazard Mitigation Program - Property Buyouts

• Grant funding is available through Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to cover 100% of the project cost for the voluntary purchase of properties (residential, commercial, or vacant parcels) that are at risk from flooding.
• If a property was damaged during the July 2023 flooding event, VEM may be able to fund the purchase the property at the appraised value the day before the storm.
• If any federal funding was received following damages from this event (e.g., flood insurance payments or Individual Assistance), property owners need to save all receipts showing that funding was used for repairs.
• If a property was not damaged during this event but is at risk from flooding, VEM may be able to fund the purchase of the property at a current-market appraised value.
• If a property owner is considering pursuing a voluntary buyout, or if a municipality has property owners who may be interested, please fill out this intake form: https://forms.office.com/g/JisdCq8LDL. VEM will then direct you to the appropriate application materials in the next few weeks.
• Once property buyouts are complete, any structures will be demolished, and the property will be maintained as green open space in perpetuity.
• If you have questions or would like to request a site visit, please reach out to dps.hazardmitigation@vermont.gov.

FEMA Town Hall Video

If you missed the recent FEMA Town Hall held in Barre City, it is available on CVTV.

CVRPC's Flood Resources

We continue to upload resource information to our website at 2023 Flood Event Resources Please do not hesitate to contact us @ cvrpc@cvregion.com

Public Assistance FEMA DR4720 FLOOD INFORMATION all in one spot!

All counties in Vermont declared for Public Assistance except for Grand Isle, Franklin and Essex. This means that in those counties those town organizations, State agencies, Schools, and certain non-profit organizations affected by the storm will be eligible for up to 75% federal share in recovery costs to rebuild again.

After you attend an applicant’s briefing next week and register for DR4720 in the FEMA Grants Portal, you will be assigned a FEMA program delivery manager and a STATE Public Assistance Coordinator to help you through the process. You may also be assigned a Guidehouse Contract Consultant that helped applicants during the Covid disaster.  Please do not do anything other than registering for Public Assistance for DR4720, until you have been asked.

Regarding FEMA Public Assistance the State has put together a website full of information including a general questions answered, how to apply for the PA program, the schedule for next week’s applicant briefings, FEMA’s current equipment rate sheet and more!!! Please visit this site.

This Public Assistance website can be found here FEMA Public Assistance (PA) FAQs | Vermont League of Cities and Towns (vlct.org)

If you still have further questions, reach out to email address at ADM.2023FLOODS@VERMONT.GOV and they will get back to you.

RFPs & Grant Information

2024 Municipal Planning Grants

Vermont’s communities are well-positioned to help bring new life and vision to their towns. Many are just learning about what new legislation will mean for housing in their communities; others are recovering from catastrophic flooding and envisioning how they could make their downtowns more resilient.

The State’s flexible Municipal Planning Grants are ready to support projects that will make real change possible in your community. For more than 30 years, Municipal Planning Grants have helped municipalities like yours implement town plan recommendations and jump start initiatives like flood resilience and recovery planning, zoning updates to welcome new homes, plans for a state designated area, or ‘age-strong’ community design.

Individual towns may apply for up to $30,000 and joint applications from several municipalities (a consortium) may apply for up to $45,000. A wide range of municipal planning and implementation activities are eligible for funding, with a small local match of 10%. I encourage you to reach out to stakeholders now to discuss local needs, opportunities, and strategies for adaptation and change.

Please review the Program Description for eligibility requirements and application guidelines. Even the smallest Vermont towns can write a winning application and open doors to a better future.

Application Schedule for FY2024 Grants: 

·       Online application (GEARS) opens for use: September 1, 2023

·       RPC confirmation of municipal planning process (for eligibility): September 30, 2023

·       Application Deadline: November 1 @ 6:00 p.m., 2023

·       Award Decisions: November 2023

·       Project completion: December 2025 (note that the grant term is now 2 years)

If you have any questions about the Municipal Planning Grants or wish to talk through project ideas, please do not hesitate to contact Jacob Hemmerick at 802-828-5249 or Jenni Lavoie at 802-828-1948.