WVTK Local & State News August 29, 2011

President Obama Monday signed an emergency declaration to deal with Vermont flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Statement from the White House: The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Vermont and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene beginning on August 26, 2011, and continuing. The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the State of Vermont. Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Craig A. Gilbert as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, 37,500 customers of the Central Vermont Public Service Corp. remained without power. But the damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene to dozens of utility poles and many roads have washed away, leaving utility crews unable to reach affected customers. CVPS Vice President Joe Kraus calls the situation "unchartered territory." He says a half a dozen substations were submerged in floodwaters. CVPS has brought in crews from as far as Illinois, but they are stymied because they can't reach the damage. In some cases utility crews had to spend the night with customers as the flooding trapped them.

More than 700 Vermont telephone customers are unable to communicate because of damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene. And at least 3,000 additional customers of FairPoint Communication have limited service Monday. FairPoint spokeswoman Sabina Haskell says the company's Pittsfield central office is out of commission entirely. She says it had been operating on battery power, but when crews went to fuel the generators the road to the office was inaccessible. An additional 1,300 customers in the Pittsfield-Rochester area have limited service. About 1,400 lines are affected in Jacksonville and another 550 in Readsboro. Customers there are unable to call 911, but they should be able to call local emergency services. Haskell says a fiber optic cable has been broken near Rochester. Crews are working to repair the damage.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says the rain might be over, but the state is just beginning to assess the damage left by the remnants of Hurricane Irene. Shumlin said Monday state officials had been preparing for the worst before the storm and in some parts of the state the worst happened. He says Vermont hasn't seen flooding on this scale since early in the last century. Shumlin says he's planning to tour the state Monday in a National Guard helicopter, flying down the Connecticut River valley and then up the west side of the state. Shumlin says officials have moved from crisis management to assessing the damage. He says "We're still tallying up the damage. There's a lot of it and more to be reported."

Vermont state government is going to be closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Early Monday, state officials decided that all non-essential state workers should stay home. The plan had been to have non-essential employees report for work at 10AM. Scores of schools are also closed across the state on Monday. Susan Allen, a spokeswoman for Gov. Peter Shumlin, says Monday will be a day to assess the damage from flooding from one end of the state to the other. The storm hit the southern part of the state first and the damage became apparent on Sunday. But the flooding didn't become severe in the northern parts of the state until after dark so officials have yet to fully assess the damage.

Please be advised that the opening of all state offices will be delayed on Monday August 29, 2011 until 10:00 a.m.  All employees designated as essential personnel for reduced workforce situations, including Corrections, Public Safety, Institutions, and Transportation Maintenance, should report for work as normally expected.  We will update this message at 7:30 a.m. on Monday August 29, 2011.
 
The Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley Red Cross has opened several shelters for people seeking refuge from Hurricane Irene. As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Red Cross said that more than 200 people are using the various shelters in the state. Officials say that number is expected to rise. The Red Cross has opened 10 shelters including Rutland High School on Stratton Road. People who need to leave their homes and are in need shelter should call Vermont 211.

The Heavy rain is caused power outages throughout Vermont. Just after 6 p.m. Sunday, over 38,000 customers are without power. The bulk of those outages are in Rutland, Windsor, Windham and Bennington counties. Vermont's utilities brought in hundreds of out-of-state workers from as far away as Illinois, Texas, Missouri and Canada to help with restoration efforts after Hurricane Irene hits the state.

East Middlebury faced evacuations yesterday. The river in East Middlebury had just starting to crest over its banks and run down the road around 5PM. Rescue crews started to go door-to-door to tell residents to evacuate. Highway and rescue personnel continued monitoring the river closely. The rains had slowed by 8PM and the river started going back down.

Vermont State Police say the state's emergency command center in Waterbury was evacuated yesterday. Police say the command center has moved to the FEMA Joint Field Office in Burlington on Lakeside Ave.

Otter Creek caused some major concerns in Rutland yesterday. Otter Creek was at record levels cresting at over 16 feet, twice the flood stage of 8 feet. Conditions only worsened in Rutland County last night. Castleton College is completely underwater and won't reopen until tomorrow. We also know the Brandon House of Pizza has come off of its foundation and was in the middle of the road, which is closed last night.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Irene hit New York hard. Essex and Clinton County were hit the hardest. The Ausable River flooded, causing a number of evacuations. Dozens of roads in both counties are closed due to flooding or washouts and emergency officials are telling people to stay home unless it is absolutely necessary to venture out.

Gov. Peter Shumlin has warned that the worst could still lie ahead of us in some parts of the state. The governor called the scope of the damage in Vermont extraordinary. He said crews all around the state will be working to fix roads today.

It finally happened, and ahead of the storm: The arch for the new Lake Champlain Bridge was lifted into place on Friday. The center arch of the bridge was floated out and set in place. It's more than four hundred feet long and 83-feet tall. Coincidentally, the arch was lifted up, set and bolted into place 82-years to the day the original Champlain Bridge opened. With smaller projects like pouring concrete, building sidewalks and doing the electrical, it's not known yet when the new bridge will finally open to traffic.