Flood Relief Grants Reach into Vermont’s Rural Northeast Kingdom:

Water streams through the deep washout of the Hemond’s driveway

After flooding this summer blew out their driveway and stranded their home in Waterford, Jennifer and James Hemond hired a contractor to rebuild the span that crosses Simpson Brook. The job had just been completed when a second round of flooding coursed through Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and turned the brook into a raging river. It knocked out the driveway again.

“It was $35,000 literally just washed down the river,” Jennifer Hemond said.

Donations to the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund are helping families like the Hemonds cope with recurring flooding this summer that has caused catastrophic damage. The fund has distributed grants totaling $455,500 since July to Vermont nonprofits that are providing a range of assistance including, in some cases, cash to help with immediate needs.

The Hemonds received $1,500 in direct assistance from one of the VT Flood Fund’s grantees, the St. Johnsbury-based nonprofit Local Socially Gives. “We really appreciate it,” said Jennifer Hemond. “Even if it’s not a lot, you know you’re not alone and that people care.’’

The repaired driveway with the new 10-foot culvert in place

The family will put the money toward the tab for rebuilding the driveway two times this summer, including the installation of ten-foot diameter culverts during the second rebuild. The total cost for the work is around $65,000 but they had no choice since otherwise vehicles could not access the home, Hemond said.

The family is hoping that a Small Business Administration disaster loan will be available. If not, they will take out some other type of loan, said Hemond. She works as a physical therapist and her husband is the Caledonia County Sheriff. They feel relatively fortunate compared to some of their neighbors this summer.

“I just feel the devastation for everybody. At least we still have our home. A lot of people do not,” Hemond said.

The VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund has allocated funds to hard-hit communities across the state, including $164,500 to organizations and municipalities in the Northeast Kingdom. The region was hit twice in July with deluging rain including a record eight inches that dropped over St. Johnsbury in six hours. Waterways surged over their banks, cratering roads and crumpling buildings. Two Northeast Kingdom men died in the floodwaters.

“We seek to ensure that all Vermonters, especially those in our most rural areas, receive the attention, support, and resources they desperately need in times of crisis,” said Kate Neubauer, program officer for Community & Environment at the Vermont Community Foundation.

The VT Flood Fund grants include $17,500 to the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Center in St. Johnsbury (NECKA), $35,000 to Kingdom United Resilience & Recovery Effort (KURRVE), $38,500 to the Center for An Agricultural Economy (CAE) in Hardwick, and $15,000 to Local Socially Gives.

NEKCA has helped organize door-to-door “muck and gut” crews to help residents clean homes and apartments, pull out damaged appliances, and haul away trash. It’s given out “grab and go” disaster relief kits with food and water. It’s hosting legal assistance clinics and a series of free meetings to help people cope with the emotional toll of the floods.

Also hard at work on flood relief: the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE). It’s hired an emergency response coordinator to help flood-besieged residents. It’s offering grocery vouchers, free meals, emergency farm loans, and technical assistance to flooded farms.

The organization was also a grant recipient last year after the devastating flooding of July 2023. The Vermont Community Foundation created the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund days after that disaster. It has now distributed or allocated more than $13.7 million.

The Vermont Community Foundation quickly reached out to staff at CAE after this summer’s flooding and is a much-valued resource, said Jon Ramsay, executive director of CAE. “The nimbleness VCF has created with their own processes to distribute funds is really amazing. We are very grateful to have such a strong relationship with VCF and we remain committed to using the resources VCF provides CAE to facilitate the most impactful outcomes in our communities.”

In St. Johnsbury, Local Socially Gives has made direct assistance grants of up to $1,500 to people from around the region. The nonprofit created its own relief fund that has raised more than $100,000. All the money the nonprofit raised, along with the grant from the VT Flood Fund, has been allocated to people for direct assistance.

“It’s been very well appreciated,” said Cari Carlet, director of Local Socially Gives. The money has helped people start repairs to homes and apartments. It has allowed them to purchase sump pumps and dehumidifiers and replace sodden clothing and spoiled food. “We’ve also helped a few people avoid eviction because they missed work,” Carlet said.

The double round of flooding this summer has tested the community. The destruction and loss are challenging, but people have also been incredibly generous. “This experience has been not unlike riding a roller coaster,” Carlet said. “The emotions are powerful.”

The summer of 2024 has reminded her that the nonprofit’s guiding principle is truer than ever. As Carlet puts it: “It feels good to do good is our mantra, and we’ve yet to be wrong with feeling that way.”

To give to the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund go to vermontcf.org/givetofloodrelief