Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/63753804/Gov-Shumlin-letter-to-Obama
Timestamp: 2017-04-26 18:25:44
Document Index: 237401293

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 5121', '§ 206', '§ 206', '§ 206', '§ 206', '§ 5170']

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September 1, 2011 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Through: Don R. Boyce Regional Administrator FEMA Region r Boston, MA 02110
Dear Mr. President: Under the provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Pub. L. No. 93-288 (1974) (codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5207) (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 C.F.R. § 206.36, I request that you declare a major disaster for the State of Vermont as a result of Tropical Storm Irene and flooding for the period August 27,2011, and continuing. 1. Summary of Incident Hurricane Irene tracked from New York City north-northeast across the States of New York and Massachusetts before making landfall in theState of Vermont in the evening of August 28,2011. Throughout the day of August 29,2011, winds were gusting to near 60 mph over Vermont that created lake waves of 4 to 6 feet and localized reports of up to 8 feet. Hurricane Irene was downgraded to Tropical Storm Irene, and carried strong winds and maximum precipitation. The National Weather Service (NWS) reports that rainfall ranged from four (4) to seven (7) inches across various areas of the State, with locally isolated higher amounts up to 10 inches. The heavy rains that accompanied Tropical Storm Irene produced record flooding across Vermont, western Massachusetts, and western Connecticut. Daily rainfall records were set in the Vermont cities of Burlington and S1. Johnsbury. Record levels were recorded on Otter Creek at Center Rutland, Hoosic River at Walloomsac River near North Bennington, Dog River at Northfield Falls, and Williams River near Rockingham. At the height of the storm's impact, there were 15 Vermont communities completely cut off by flood waters or failed infrastructure. The widespread devastating flooding across Vermont from Tropical Storm Irene is the second greatest natural disaster in the 20th and 21stcenturies (November 1927 Flood) for Vermont.
05609-0101
802.828.3339
• TDD: 802.828.3345
The Honorable Barack Obama President ·of the United States September 1, 2011 Page 2 During the incident, it became necessary to initiate an emergency evacuation of the Waterbury State Offices complex that houses such agenci es as the Vermont Department of Public Safety, including Vermont Emergency Management, Agency of Human Services, Agency of Agriculture Laboratory and Agency of Natural Resources. This evacuation disrupted numerous State agencies and involved a number of State, local, and private response resources. The relocation is likely to continue for an undetermined amount of time, causing further disruption to the continuity of government. II. State and Local Actions In response to the situation, I have taken appropriate action under State law and directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan on August 27, 2011, in accordance with Section 401 of the Stafford Act. I declared a state of emergency for the whole state in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. This state of emergency still remains in effect. The State of Vermont has a Standard State Mitigation Plan that was approved by FEMA in November 2010. Approximately 85% of Vermont communities have either FEMA-approved standard local mitigation plans or draft plans pending approval. The following information is furnished on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be used to alleviate the conditions of this disaster: • • • • • • • • • • • • The state activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to 24x7 operations on August 27,2011, and continues to operate the EOC on a 24x7basis; The state and American Red Cross operated (9) shelters during the storm; 500 cots and 1000 blankets have been deployed; 3 shelter trailers have been deployed, 11 remain at the ready for deployment; 4 American Red Cross feeding support vehicles have been deployed, 1 mobile kitchen support trailer and 1 mobile kitchen trailer; 9 Emergency Response Vehicle Supp011 teams have been deployed; 70 staff members from the State of Vermont have been dedicated to the response; 300 National Guard members were deployed, 60 vehicles, air and ground assets in support of commodities distribution and other mission critical activities; Vermont Agency of Transportation road restoration teams deployed; Hazardous Materials Response teams have been deployed; Five swift water rescue teams-accompanied deployed; and by out of state support-s-have been
All State Support functions were activated along with the activation of cross border activities associated with the movement of utility crews and coordinated with Canadian officials.
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States September 1,2011 Page 3 III. Damage Assessment
On August 30,2011, I requested ajoint federal, State, and local survey of the damaged areas. Preliminary assessments indicated the most severe impacts were to homes, businesses, water and sewer systems, public buildings, roads and bridge infrastructure. The State of Vermont tragically lost three persons as a direct result of the storm and one additional person remains missing. The following provides a key summary of the major impacts from Irene and flooding and results of the damage assessment: • • Waterbury State Offices complex is uninhabitable; State owned rail lines (Whitehall, NY to Rutland, Rutland to Burlington, Rutland to Bellows Falls, White River to Newport and Rutland to Bennington) have standing water covering the tracks and are anticipated to have sustained massive damage; Water/sewer assessments indicate that wastewater systems in nine towns and water distribution systems in thirteen towns are damaged or not functioning; Several local jurisdictions have reported damage to public safety buildings; 50,000 residents were without power during the storm and restoration in many areas has been significantly compromised by failed infrastructure; Storm necessitated the evacuation of 51 patients from the State Hospital; Dairy farmers have reported that they are forced to dump their milk production due to the compromised road infrastructure supporting delivery; Amtrak rail lines in the impacted area are expected to be down for 6-8 weeks; and FEMA performed a preliminary assessment to determine whether the impact from Tropical Storm Irene warranted a Disaster Initiated Review for the Vermont Yankee Power Plant. Determination and Requested Assistance
I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and the affected local governments, and that federal assistance under the Stafford Act is necessary to supplement the efforts and available resources of state and local governments, disaster relief organizations, and compensation by insurance for disaster-related damage: First, r am specifically requesting Public Assistance, including direct federal assistance, for the Counties of Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor. Second, I am requesting Individual Assistance (including the Individuals and Households Program (HIP), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Disaster Legal Services, and Crisis Counseling) and Small Business Administration disaster loans for the Counties of Chittenden, Rutland, Windsor, and Washington. Third, I am requesting the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide. Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of assistance needed under the Stafford Act are tabulated in Enclosures A and B. Estimated requirements for assistance from certain Federal
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States September 1, 2011 Page 4 agencies under other statutory authorities are tabulated in Enclosure C. I certify that for this major disaster, the State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal shares of costs required by the Stafford Act. Total expenditures are expected to exceed $11,616,423.00, in accordance with the table in Enclosure D. Public Assistance I am specifically requesting Public Assistance, including direct federal assistance, for the Counties of Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor. In support of this request, I run providing the following evaluation of the factors set forth at 44 C.F.R. § 206.48(a). • Estimated Cost of Assistance. The estimated cost of Public Assistance for this incident is $ 11,616,423.00, which equals a per capita impact of$18.56. This exceeds the minimum damage $1,000,000 and minimum statewide per capita impact of $1.30. In addition, the total per capita impact of Addison ($27.16), Bennington ($39.06), Caledonia ($41.69), Chittenden ($9.82), Essex ($21.41), Franklin ($4.66), Lamoille ($18.79), Orange ($19.08), Orleans ($30.53), Rutland ($6.49), Washington ($20.1 O),Windham ($32.51), and Windsor ($19.09) Counties exceeds the minimum countywide per capita impact of $3.27. Localized Impacts. The State of Vermont and its residents have suffered significant losses as a result of the impact of Tropical Storm Irene. Damages to homes, businesses, farms, and public infrastructure will have a cascading impact on the State. In a state already recovering from a series of natural disasters, Tropical Storm Irene has further impacted our economic recovery. Vermont is highly dependent upon tourism and, as we approach a traditionally active tourist season, our communities will struggle to make the necessary repairs to support the increased volume of people. The State of Vermont, rich in agriculture, has experienced yet another incident that will have far reaching negative impacts on our ability to harvest the crops. Insurance Coverage in Force. We have considered the amount of insurance in force or should have been force as required by law and regulation at the time of the Tropical Storm Irene and flooding and reduced the total amount of estimated damages by this amount. Despite such reduction, the total amount of damage for the severe storms and flooding still exceeds the $1 million threshold and the statewide and county per capita indicators. Hazard Mitigation. Vermont has an active mitigation program, which includes implementation of the Section 404 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMPG), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant programs. Without these programs and measures, the damage from Tropical Storm Irene and flooding would have certainly been much more serious. Recent Multiple Disasters. In the past nine months, Vermont has suffered multiple disasters. Vermont experienced a severe storm in December 2010 (FEMA-1951-DR); severe storms and flooding from April 23 to May 9, 2011 (FEMA-1995-DR); and severe storms and flooding from May 26-27, 2011 (FEMA-4001-DR). In addition, Vermont
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States September 1, 2011 Page 5 experienced significant winter storms and snowstorms upon which it and its local jurisdictions expended considerable resources. Individual Assistance J am requesting Individual Assistance (including the Individuals and Households Program (lI'IP), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Disaster Legal Service, and Crisis Counseling) and Small Business Administration disaster loans for the Counties of Chittenden, Rutland, Windsor, and Washington, In support of this request, I wanted to provide an evaluation of the factors set forth at 44 C.F.R. § 206.48(b). • Concentration of Damages. There are high concentrations of damages that resulted from Irene and its flooding effects. For example, there were a combined 214 homes that were destroyed or had major damage in Washington County. Trauma. There are large scale disruptions of normal community functions and services. There are 13 isolated communities that that cannot be accessed due to flooding and washed out roads, Irene has damaged and closed more than 250 local and state roads, which has made transportation in the state problematic. Power remains out for approximately 20,000 customers, the majority of which are in southern Vermont In addition, communications connectivity is out in Chelsea, Morrisville, Rutland, and Waterbury. The American Red Cross continues to operate shelters in Barre, Brattleboro, Hartford and Rutland. Special Populations. As the table below shows, the affected counties have levels of poverty and unemployment rates exceeding the national average. Without federal assistance, the affected individuals cannot effectively recover from this incident.
A verage of Persons Below Poverty Level 13.5% 11.0°1., 11.4% 11.1(10 13.6%) 10.7(10 15.9 10.9% 6.7% 12.7% 8~6% 13.9% 11.3% 10.0% 10.9% 9.8% Median Household Income $51,425 $51,284 $55,427 $58,750 $41,897 $59,634 $40,093 $52,270 $56,202 $51,037 $51,011 $40,605 $46,153 $54,227 $46,465 $51,066 Percent Elderly 12.6°;() 13.8(10 12.4% 18.3% 14.7%. 10.7% 17.0%' 11.6% 13.5% 14.8% 14.0% 16.2% 16.0% 13.9% 15.0% 16.9% 9.8% Percent Disabled 12.0 13.6
State Average Addison County Bennington Caledonia Chittenden County County County
Essex County Franklin County Grand Isle County Lamoille County Orange County Orleans County Rutland County Washington County Windham County Windsor County
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States September 1,2011 Page 6
Voluntary Agency Assistance. Voluntary agencies and state or local programs cannot not effectively meet the needs of disaster victims. Average Amount ofIndividual Assistance. There are 312 destroyed homes and homes with major damage and we estimate $6,882,481 of housing assistance. We also estimate other needs assistance applications of 131 and $174,140 of individual and family grant assistance. Insurance. We have reduced the totalnumbers estimated amount of homes with insurance. of housing assistance by the
Programs of Other Federal Agencies. We anticipate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture may provide assistance to those citizens with significant agriculture damage. There are no significant programs of other federal agencies, however, that can be brought to bear to provide the necessary assistance to Vermont for Tropical Storm Irene and flooding. Direct Federal Assistance and Debris Removal
I request direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property. Specifically, I am requesting technical and advisory assistance, debris removal, Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) communications support and equipment, federal Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) generator and power restoration support, shelter support, swift water rescue, U.S. Forest Service chainsaw crews, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) technical support and medical teams. Due to the magnitude of the impacts of this storm, State and local governments cannot perform or award contracts for the performance of these tasks. In accordance with 44 C.F.R. § 206.208, the State ofYermont agrees that it will, with respect to direct Federal assistance: 1. Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements and rights-of-ways necessary to accomplish the approved work; 2. Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the requested work, and shall indemnify the Federal Government against any claims arising from such work; 3. Provide reimbursement to FEMA for the non-Federal share of the cost of such work in accordance with the provisions of the FEMA-State Agreement; and 4. Assist the performing Federal agency in all support and local jurisdictional matters. In addition, I anticipate the need for debris removal, which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety. Pursuant to Sections 403 and 407 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5170b and 5173, the State agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States of America for any claims arising from the removal of debris or wreckage for this disaster. The State agrees that debris removal from public and private property will not occur until the landowner signs an unconditional authorization for the removal of debris.
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States September 1, 2011 Page 7 State Coordinating Officer I have designated Michael A. O'Neil as the State Coordinating Officer for this request He will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in damage assessments and may provide further information or justification on my behalf.
___./) Governor State of Vermont Enclosures
ENCLOSURE A TO MAJOR DISASTER REQUEST Estimated Requirements for Individual Assistance under the Stafford Act
~<=~un~-J--~-----------A-S-S-is-t-an-c-e--to-I-J-ld-i-V-id-u-a-l-s-a-n-d-I-I-o~us--e-h-o-Id-s-----------~O--th-e-r--P-ro~g-r-a-m-s~l
I (List each
I requested I county)
T-:~air~ep .
Other Needs Assistance I
(Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Legal Services, and Crisis Counseling)
ChTitenden
I -.------.--. _1_9,-,9_3_9 -+_-----------i $138,248
1--$-1-0-,7-7-3--+-1 --0--+--$-2-6-3,-1.J-"3--+------Jf----0---l -
r-f---- -Ru,--tl-,-a_l1dI__ __ ,-·- __ ----t
\ r-I-=~_W_'a_s_hl_·n~gt_o_n_---+-- __ i
-:-:42_2_5_8______ $3~_0,_08_1_,8-4_7'-,8_73--__+------_-+_--'-$ __
188,309 4,180,891 467,792 2_6~,2_16 __i~_~-~I
__ 2_0_4--','-6_59_-+ iii
+~_·_=__=_-=-S_'_=_1_=_5'2,9~5=1 ==:1
====---==~~--~~----_i
--------~-----!--------f------+__----_l_-------I-----_+_------~ $274,656 s 4,824,105 I s 1,783,457 0 I $ 174,139.61 TOTALS I
ENCLOSURE B TO MAJOR DISASTER REQUEST Estimated Requirements for Public Assistance Stafford Act
8/31120 11
Report #: Addison Co Bennington Co Caledonia Co Chittenden Co Essex Co Franklin Co I'
$0 $0 $6 $0 $150,000 $0 $45,000
C $0 $1,300,000 $302,000 $384,497
$\ 35,000
E $0 $0 $0 $1,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
TOTAL $1,000,000 $1,450,000 $1,302,000 $1,537,497 $135,000 $222,460
SO $0 $70,000 $0 $10,000 $0 $380,000 $450,000 $0 $0 $0 SO $1,000,000 $1,022,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
$15,000 $0 $10,000 no damages $0 $0 $0
Grand Isle Co Lamoille Co Orange Co Orleans Co
$80,000 $102,000 $831,479 $400,000 $196,897 $1,447,200 $1,081,890 $0 $6,445,423
S460,000 $552,000 $831,479 $400,000 $1; 196,897 $1,447,200 $1,081,890 $0
Rutland Co Washington Co Windham Co Windsor Co State Agencies TOTALS
SO $0 $25,000
$0 $0 $213,000
SO $910,000
$11,616,423
ENCLOSURE C TO MAJOR DISASTER REQUEST Estimated Requirements for Other Federal Agency Programs
To be determined-SBA is currently tabulating their assistance total
I SBA----rSB~ I FSA I Home I Busmess i Loans
NRCS - !
FHWA--[
l~f-----i
.L......___
I TBO-~I_T-_B-D-_l----+-,_l-BD
Totals-+--~-
'---____
-----'--_
I~ __j_~=l
ENCLOSURE D TO MAJOR DISASTER REQUEST
I certify that for this current disaster, State and local government expenditures and obligations will include the non-Federal share of costs required by the Stafford Act. As stated in my basic letter, and based on information available at this time, tabulation of these estimated expenditures and obligations are as follows:
OF ASSISTANCE and
AMOlJNT
~Individual Assistance: i -~Oth-er A-S"Sfs-tance"under the Individuals ! Households Program
r-TotOalt:h~E(SpeC~fY) -_---_
-----------~-----~~$'
I I I I I! I
STATE 43,535
I. LOCAL I TBD
43,535,
I TBD TBD
~~~~J~ ~~_~ __ i Total: i Grand Total:
Assistance: - e ns emova ategory Category B - Emergency Protective Measures Category C - Roads and Bridges Category D - Water Control Facilities Cat.egory E - Buildings and Equipment ___ Category F - Utilities - .. Category G - Other (Parks, Recreational Facilities,
-t-l __ 1l_:25°
--1 $ _j_$
i $ 1,611,356
TBD TBD ----TBD TBD TBD
$ 1,005,500 J_f_B_D __
i _$ 2,947 ,6411
$ 2,904,106
I TBD TB-D-~-
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