WVTK Local & State News August 31, 2011

Inspectors with the state Agency of Transportation conducted a partial bridge inspection on Route 7 in Brandon Tuesday. The water levels are still too high to assess the integrity of the bridge safety. Another inspection is tentatively planned for today, but will depend on the level of water. Meanwhile Otter Valley Union High School and Neshobe Elementary School in Forest Dale will be closed until at least Tuesday, and the town offices will be temporarily moving to the Brandon Fire Station for two to six weeks.

Irene has impacted the beginning of the school year for many students. Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon will not begin classes today as scheduled. In response to the extensive damage to roads and bridges in our area, the decision has been made to delay the start of classes until Tuesday, September 6th. Other schools around the area remained closed, we’ll keep you up to date on the air and HERE.

FEMA has arrived in Vermont. It held a news conference with local politicians Tuesday afternoon about what people can expect in regards to federal assistance. FEMA officials say they have been all over the state looking at the damage. The FEMA Administrator says they secured what's known as immediate needs funding to help evacuees pay for hotels and rentals. As for long term help, here's what we know, for individual assistance the maximum a person can qualify for is about $30,000, but it's all need based. The problem FEMA is stretched thin after hurricane Irene left damage in several states. The Federal Appropriations Committee meets next week to discuss how much and where these federal funds will go. You are encouraged to file a claim with your federal flood insurance, before looking for FEMA assistance.

Many people who own small businesses around the state suffered some damage. The good news for some of you, help may be available. Vermont is launching an emergency loan program, so you can make repairs or rebuild while you wait to be reimbursed by federal emergency funds. Governor Peter Shumlin says $10 million will be made available. Click HERE for details on the program.

As the North Country continues the task of cleaning up from Tropical Storm Irene, many hope for a stronger helping hand from the federal government this time. In a letter to President Barack Obama, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand asked for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Clinton, Essex and 23 other counties.

As the clean up from Irene gets underway in earnest, many local officials are pleading with the public to keep away from damaged and closed roads. Ernie Anderson is a selectman in the town of Royalton, and he's been out helping with traffic re-routing. But Anderson says too many curiosity seekers trying to get a look at the storm’s aftermath are hampering work crews. He says some people think just taking a quick look won't do much harm, but he says when everyone thinks that way, it adds up to a real problem.

Some 105 Essex County Roads need repair in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. Many are closed. Extensive washouts, bridge destruction and undermined pavement account for much of what the county faces in repairs. A complete list of Essex County road closures, updated every few minutes, is posted on the county website HERE.

The American Red Cross is busy getting crucial supplies to the people who need it the most. Hannaford grocery stores donated a truck full of water, fruit and food for the Red Cross to hand out. The struggle is getting the supplies to those people that are stranded. That’s why the National Guard stepped in. Their high water vehicles helped them get into a couple of communities that were otherwise inaccessible. To learn more about volunteering or how to make a monetary donation head to the Vermont Red Cross website.

The Rutland DMV was severely damaged during the flooding. Services moved to the Mahady Court House in Middlebury. They have a mobile office that's usually there 2 days week, but it will be there 5 days a week now to better serve customers.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says it could be months before many of the 2,000 state employees can get back to work at the state office complex in Waterbury. He says a majority of the employees who work in Waterbury are staying home, although they are being paid. Shumlin toured the state complex on Tuesday along with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. In some ground floor parts of the complex, water from the nearby Winooski River was nearly 6-feet deep after Sunday's flooding. The Governor says that as bad as it is at the Waterbury complex, he's more worried about Vermonters who lost their homes and businesses. Sanders says that despite the restrained federal budget, he thinks Congress will provide Vermont the emergency assistance it needs.

There are still thousands of people in New York without power. When Tropical Storm Irene hit the North Country, it took out power to nearly 50 percent of New York State Electric and Gas's customers. NYSEG has restored power to more than 20,000 but close to 12,000 people still remain in the dark. NYSEG Regional Manager, Mark Leta said, he has seen other storms produce more damage in the North Country, but the outages are spread all over Clinton and Essex counties and many of the wires and poles are cut off by washed out roads.

According to Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras Rutland City has a 30-day water supply on hand, not 2 days, as has been reported elsewhere. However, the City does need your help in conserving water. Due to the destructive flooding caused by Hurricane Irene, the City's primary raw water supply has been temporarily interrupted. The City has about a 30-days supply of water in our reservoir and supply tanks. The water quality will be up to its normal excellent standard. There is no need to boil water at this time. Please conserve water as much as you can. Avoid using water to wash cars, or wash down mud left by the flood, or to water your garden.

Rutland Regional Medical Center President Tom Hubner says a woman in respiratory distress in Killington needed to get to the hospital on Monday afternoon, but the road between the two communities was cut and impassable. So the patient was taken by the Killington ambulance to the west side of the break in Route 4 in Mendon, her stretcher was loaded onto a special ATV and then driven to another ambulance that took her to the hospital in Rutland. He says the patient, who he did not identify, is doing fine.

The New York Farm Bureau is helping farmers who suffered devastating damage from Tropical Storm Irene. The farm advocacy group is working with state and local government officials to determine the damage to crops and dairy herds. Farm Bureau President Dean Norton says the group and officials are reaching out to farmers to assess the damage for reimbursement from insurance and potentially from federal disaster funds. Farmers can call the bureau at 518-436-8495 or their local county emergency management office.

Vermont farmers are urged to report losses from Tropical Storm Irene but officials won't know the extent of the impact for some time while the state is still responding to the massive flood damage. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture says the heavy rains accompanied by high winds are leaving farmers with flooded fields and barns, debris, and limited options for milk pick-ups. Agency of Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross says state and federal officials need to hear from farmers to determine what kind of help might be available.

Officials at the Green Mountain National Forest say flooding damage from Tropical Storm Irene is extensive in the forest. Spokesman Ethan Ready says the forest is still open but that anyone venturing into it should know that many areas, roads, camp sites and trails are inaccessible, thanks to high water, washouts and compromised bridges. Some drinking water systems may also be compromised. Ready says it'll take time for the Forest Service to assess the condition of trails, roads and recreation sites. Forest Service officials are recommending that people postpone visits to the forest for now.


Among the damaged roads and bridges in Vermont are several of the state's iconic covered bridges. Many are tourist attractions that have withstood the test of time, but not Irene. State officials have not yet tallied the damage, but at least three and maybe more covered bridges have been swept away by powerful river currents. Governor Peter Shumlin promises they, along with all the damaged roads, will be rebuilt.

The Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Agency of Agriculture issued an advisory this week for anyone growing fruit and vegetables that may have come into contact with floodwaters. Floodwaters could have been contaminated and people are urged to discard aboveground fruit or vegetables that have matured and cannot be washed and cooked prior to consumption. Produce to be concerned about are lettuce, greens, herbs, tomatoes and squash that have already developed fruit. Root crops can be consumed as long as they are thoroughly washed and cooked. It is difficult to remove all the contamination with just plain rinsing. Any produce in question should be thrown away.

With access from the outside limited and state agencies facing tremendous demand, communities are doing what they can to take care of their own needs, with neighbors helping neighbors. If you would like to help out the United Way has set up a relief fund. You can donate at Vermont211.org. The Red Cross, of course, is on the ground in many communities and is always in need of support, www.redcross.org. There is also a grassroots volunteer effort underway online. The site is vtresponse.wordpress.com, it has listings for people willing to lend a hand in various communities.

A man was killed in Castleton Monday when his semi-truck fell over top of him. It happened on West Castleton Road. Emergency crews say they found 52-year-old Dennis Hayword pinned between a tire and a tree. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

There are still no answers as to how 11-year-old Celina Cass died. Officials had hoped to have the toxicology results back last week to determine the cause of death, but that didn't happen. They say it is not unusual for toxicology results to take up to eight weeks.