Vermont to Receive Over $650,000 in FEMA Disaster Recovery Funds
WASHINGTON – Vermont will receive $652,800 in disaster recovery funding as part of a larger $35 million release announced by the Department of homeland Security (DHS). The funds, administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are earmarked for repairs to a building owned by the Vermont department of Labor.
This project is one of 130 recovery initiatives supported by the funding release. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated the disbursement demonstrates improvements in FEMA’s responsiveness,noting,”For decades,FEMA was mired in red tape and bureaucracy,slowing its response to natural disasters…this new funding proves that Secretary Noem’s efforts to remake the agency into a fast,responsive disaster relief enterprise are working.”
The funding comes after a review of FEMA initiated by an executive order from the trump administration,following previous discussions about potential meaningful changes to the agency.
Vermont has recently relied on FEMA assistance to recover from severe flooding events.Both in 2023 and 2024, the state received reimbursements to towns for flood damage.In July 2024, Governor Phil Scott requested a major disaster declaration for localized flooding in the Northeast Kingdom following events on July 10th, reporting over $1.8 million in damages. Approval of this request from the Trump administration is still pending.
