WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is providing $6 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds that will be immediately available through a “quick release” process to help the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) offset the cost of repairs for severe flooding in communities and washouts of roads and bridges caused by catastrophic flooding and prolonged heavy rainfall from the remnants of hurricanes Beryl and Debby this summer.
“The emergency funding we’re sending is helping Vermont repair its transportation network, making roadways safe for residents to travel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This is Vermont’s fourth transportation emergency in a little over a year, and we are working with urgency both to help fix what was damaged, and more broadly, to make sure transportation infrastructure is resilient for the future.”
According to a FHWA press release, as part of the response to flooding, emergency funds will be used to reimburse VTrans for costs associated with clearing mud and rockslides from roadways, repairing eroded shoulders and guardrails, opening plugged culverts, clearing materials from structures brought by floodwaters, addressing water runoff, and a host of other eligible repairs.
“Our hearts go out to Vermonters who have been impacted earlier this year by the destructive flooding and rain from hurricanes Beryl and Debby, said Kristin White, Acting Federal Highway Administrator. “The Federal Highway Administration is proud to work closely with the Vermont Agency of Transportation to repair and restore communities by issuing Emergency Relief to expeditiously get federal funding in the hands of impacted communities.”
On July 10 Vermont began experiencing catastrophic flash flooding and heavy rainfall caused by Hurricane Beryl, which continued for weeks with rainfall amounts observed from three to eight inches across the state over a period of just 48 hours. Flooding, erosion, land, and mudslides continued to affect the state through August 11 with the remnants of Hurricane Debby.
Emergency Relief funds will allow VTrans to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to damaged infrastructure and will help local agencies avoid delays and alleviate impacts to existing budgets. The funding will be used for emergency repairs that have already occurred as well as those that will continue over the next several months.
A preliminary damage estimate from the events that occurred in July and August is $32 million. The total estimated federal share of four emergency weather events is $206 million, which is almost equal to Vermont’s formula funding for the year.
FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to States, territories, Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events, according to the release. These Emergency Relief funds, delivered through a “quick release” process, are an initial installment of funds toward restoring this essential transportation link. Additional funds needed to repair damage in Vermont will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations.
The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and provisions by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration, and repair of damaged infrastructure, to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.
More information about FHWA’s Emergency Relief program can be found online at fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
