VCF Renews Flood Recovery Efforts as State Grapples with New Damage from Heavy Rains

The flooding that began Wednesday, on the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic July 2023 floods, damaged homes, roads, and forced evacuations in a state still feeling the impact of last year’s disaster.

But then and now, the generosity of friends, neighbors, and people who care can make a difference. The VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund, created by the Vermont Community Foundation immediately after the July 2023 floods, is again poised to respond and accept donations from people who want to help. To date, the fund has raised nearly $14 million and granted or allocated funds to support efforts in more than 100 communities across Vermont.

“Like all of Vermont, we are saddened by the flooding yesterday and today. There is no getting around the fact that this is an extremely challenging day for the state,” said Dan Smith, president & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. “But one of things we have seen over the past year is how much people can accomplish when they pull together. We are only as strong as our neighboring communities. So once again we are preparing to support the response effort in communities that need it most and work all the harder on long-term flood resilience. We are deeply grateful to all who have donated and continue to donate to our VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund.”

The full scope of the damage from the flooding Wednesday is still being assessed, with Peacham, St. Johnsbury, Richmond, Moretown, Plainfield, Lyndonville, Williamstown, Barre, and Waterbury among towns affected. State officials are reporting that Central Vermont was hard-hit with rivers and brooks jumping their banks and washing away part of an apartment building, filling homes with silt, and damaging roads, bridges, and farms.

One of the ways that Vermonters respond when disaster hits is through reaching out and giving in support, said Holly Morehouse, vice president for Grants & Community Impact at the Vermont Community Foundation. “We saw how the generosity of Vermonters immediately after the July 2023 floods helped us quickly support relief efforts to provide clean water, shelter, and food, as well as initial clean-up. Now, as Vermont faces another flood emergency, we hope that philanthropic dollars can again propel response work as well as the vital but complex task of building lasting community flood resilience.”

Nearly 9,000 individual donors, philanthropic partners, and corporations have donated to the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund so far. The Community Foundation has distributed grants across impacted areas statewide and worked with partners on business recovery, farm aid, rebuilding public structures, as well as repairs to homes, apartments, and mobile homes. The funds have also supported local long-term recovery groups with the challenging work of funding repairs on homes and other properties that are still damaged, a year after the July floods. The Flood Response & Recovery Fund is also prioritizing watershed resilience, including support for river clean-up and restoration, assessment of failing dams, and work with communities as they envision a more resilient future.