Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee

06/08/2015

The Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee is inactive until the next major disaster strikes. In the meantime, please call 2-1-1 for assistance or contact them at http://www.vermont211.org/.

"Vermont 2-1-1 is the number you dial to find out about hundreds of important community resources, like emergency food and shelter, disability services, counseling, senior services, healthcare, child care, drug and alcohol programs, legal assistance, transportation needs, educational and volunteer opportunities, and much more.
2-1-1 is not an emergency number like 9-1-1, nor is it directory assistance like 4-1-1. 2-1-1 is your first step toward solving everyday problems or when you face difficult times. It’s a free service. It’s confidential. It’s 24/7."

Vermont 2-1-1 is a free and confidential service, serving Vermonters statewide with information and resources to help maintain and improve their health and well being. By dialing 2-1-1, callers are connected with trained representatives that provide referrals to a variety of local and statewide soci…

01/22/2014

When the next disaster strikes, we'll be there to help people get back on their feet. We will remain mostly inactive until then. Thank you to the volunteers who spent numerous hours helping those in need.

10/28/2013

Trees donated by Devil's Bowl Speedway as part of a NASCAR/Arbor Day Foundation "Go For The Green" initiative were planted today in Mendon with the help of students from Stafford Technical Center under the direction of Mark Raishart, and students from Mount St. Joseph Academy under the direction of Jennifer Bagley. .Joe Casella, of Casella Construction donated materials, heavy equipment and labor to make the planting today possible. Thank you to everyone who participated! JOB WELL DONE!

09/18/2013

Rutland Herald

Tree donation assists Irene recovery efforts
By Courtney Parker
STAFF WRITER | September 16,2013

A donation of 90 trees from Devil’s Bowl Speedway through the NASCAR Green “Clean Air Project” will add to Vermont’s lush landscape across the state this season.

Striving to improve environmental sustainability through recycling, tree planting and alternative energy programs, the NASCAR Green Clean Air Project elected Devil’s Bowl Speedway as one of five NASCAR-sanctioned speedways to participate, in an effort to assist in local recovery efforts and repair remaining damage from Tropical Storm Irene.

The donation was announced Sunday during the track’s Vermont 200 weekend, drawing heavy applause from the crowd.

“Helping your neighbors is the most important thing you can do,” said Andrea Varney, volunteer and resource coordinator for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee, who is coordinating the distribution of the donated trees.

Varney said that even two years after the damaging storm, community members are still recovering and in need of assistance. While she believes the tree donations will greatly benefit the region, she says the damage done by the storm can never be fully repaired.

“There will always be scars,” said Varney, “But this donation is a meaningful resource very much appreciated by all.”

Scheduled for distribution in October, trees will be placed throughout central Vermont, with recipients in Castleton, Rutland and Mendon.

The donated trees will serve the dual purpose of reducing the track’s carbon footprint by capturing 100 percent of the emissions created by the race vehicles, while helping to replenish the devastated landscape.

Tree recipient Todd Keehan of Mendon was one of the many Vermont residents who experienced tremendous property damage during Tropical Storm Irene, wiping out over six acres of his land.

Now, thanks to the speedway’s donation, Keehan can begin to rebuild his property and restore the much-needed privacy separating his house from the main road.

“I am so pleased with the donation,” he said. “I don’t know what we would have done without it.”

Northern red oaks, Serbian spruces and red and sugar maple trees, among others, are a few of the selected trees to be dispersed.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway hopes to continue assisting the community with post-Irene beautification and plans to lend their support and resources as much as possible.

This donation marks the second major community outreach effort from the speedway for Irene survivors. In June 2012, the track hosted the “I Am Vermont Strong 100” race event, which included a donation drive for the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

“We want to give back,” said Justin St. Louis of Devil’s Bowl Speedway. “We are definitely not done with our commitment to this.”
Photo: Rutland Herald Tree donation assists Irene recovery efforts By Courtney Parker STAFF WRITER | September 16,2013 A donation of 90 trees from Devil’s Bowl Speedway through the NASCAR Green “Clean Air Project” will add to Vermont’s lush landscape across the state this season. Striving to improve environmental sustainability through recycling, tree planting and alternative energy programs, the NASCAR Green Clean Air Project elected Devil’s Bowl Speedway as one of five NASCAR-sanctioned speedways to participate, in an effort to assist in local recovery efforts and repair remaining damage from Tropical Storm Irene. The donation was announced Sunday during the track’s Vermont 200 weekend, drawing heavy applause from the crowd. “Helping your neighbors is the most important thing you can do,” said Andrea Varney, volunteer and resource coordinator for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee, who is coordinating the distribution of the donated trees. Varney said that even two years after the damaging storm, community members are still recovering and in need of assistance. While she believes the tree donations will greatly benefit the region, she says the damage done by the storm can never be fully repaired. “There will always be scars,” said Varney, “But this donation is a meaningful resource very much appreciated by all.” Scheduled for distribution in October, trees will be placed throughout central Vermont, with recipients in Castleton, Rutland and Mendon. The donated trees will serve the dual purpose of reducing the track’s carbon footprint by capturing 100 percent of the emissions created by the race vehicles, while helping to replenish the devastated landscape. Tree recipient Todd Keehan of Mendon was one of the many Vermont residents who experienced tremendous property damage during Tropical Storm Irene, wiping out over six acres of his land. Now, thanks to the speedway’s donation, Keehan can begin to rebuild his property and restore the much-needed privacy separating his house from the main road. “I am so pleased with the donation,” he said. “I don’t know what we would have done without it.” Northern red oaks, Serbian spruces and red and sugar maple trees, among others, are a few of the selected trees to be dispersed. Devil’s Bowl Speedway hopes to continue assisting the community with post-Irene beautification and plans to lend their support and resources as much as possible. This donation marks the second major community outreach effort from the speedway for Irene survivors. In June 2012, the track hosted the “I Am Vermont Strong 100” race event, which included a donation drive for the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund. “We want to give back,” said Justin St. Louis of Devil’s Bowl Speedway. “We are definitely not done with our commitment to this.”

09/18/2013

Ron Fabian owner of Fabian Earth Moving runs the excavator this morning as he demolishes a Center Rutland home damaged by Tropical Storm Irene. A replacement home will be installed on the site in early October. Fabian donated the equipment and labor for the project which is being coordinated by the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee and NeighborWorks.

09/18/2013

News | Local & State
Couple no longer fear Irene debris pile
By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | September 12,2013

SHREWSBURY — Doris Hall is going to sleep better at night.

Hall lives on the bank of Cold River, and for the past two years she has waited with a mix of apprehension and dread for another flood to drive an enormous pile of tree trunks and appliances into her home.

But no longer.

“I don’t think there’s going to be many sleepless nights any more,” Hall said Wednesday as she watched an excavator pile stone along the river bank.

Hall and her husband have had plenty of sleepless nights in the two years since the floods from Tropical Storm Irene deposited tons of debris just upstream from their home on Cold River Road.

When it rained at night Hall and her husband would take turns sleeping, with the other watching the river with a spotlight, waiting for another disaster to strike.

Hall and her upstream neighbor — Christine Keklak, who lived in the shadow of the debris pile — spent two years struggling to cut through the bureaucratic red tape to have the pile removed.

Their claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency were denied because the pile was not actually located on their properties, but just upstream on a property at 5919 Cold River Road. FEMA determined that property was not a primary residence, making it ineligible for disaster relief funds.

Hall and Keklak also struggled to have the danger to their homes recognized by the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

Encountering closed doors at the federal and state levels, they said, they turned to the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee, whose mission is to bring together various organizations to provide disaster cleanup following Irene.

First, the committee raised $19,000 in donations from local churches and businesses. In August, it brought in Team Rubicon — a 10,000-member veterans group that provides assistance following a disaster — to remove about 30 tons of debris.

The grass-roots effort paid off in more ways than one, because the $33,000 project ended up receiving money from the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

“I think a big influence on getting those funds was the effort we showed at the local level: the money we raised, the members of the community who volunteered their time and just how hard Christine and Doris have worked,” said Andrea L. Varney, volunteer and resource coordinator for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee.

“All of these things showed the state that this was a project worth doing,” she said.

The debris is long gone and this week, Fabian Earth Moving of West Rutland has been placing large stones along the riverbank to firm up the bank and redirect the river to flow in the direction it did before Irene.

“It doesn’t seem real to me, after all the complications, that it’s actually happening,” Keklak said. “It feels much safer.”

[email protected]

08/29/2013

Gov. Shumlin hosted a nice reception last evening in Rochester, recognizing the efforts of all those associated with Vermont's Irene recovery.

08/29/2013

http://governor.vermont.gov/newsroom-gov-shumlin-irene-2013

WILMINGTON – Exactly two years after Tropical Storm Irene swept over the state, destroying homes and businesses, wiping out roads and bridges, and killing six Vermonters, Gov. Peter Shumlin today visited one of the hardest hit communities to release the final report documenting the state’s recovery…

08/28/2013

RUTLAND COUNTY IS FINISHING STRONG

With FEMA funded supports ending today, August 28th, 2013, the work of the Rutland County Disaster Case Management team and the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee has drawn to a close. Many people have worked over the past two years to repair the damage resulting from Tropical Storm Irene. Much has been accomplished to help survivors. Yet, so much still remains to be done. It is our hope that the civic spirit throughout Rutland County acknowledged on this page will continue as communities and individuals work together to aid those still feeling the affects of the storm.

The Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee is grateful for all those in Rutland County who have helped over the past two years, and for the businesses, organizations and individuals who, in the past six months in particular, have generously contributed labor, funds, resources and assistance to help us “Finish Strong”!

Thanks so much for your help to put Rutland County on the road to recovery!

A special thanks to BROC Community Action in Southwestern Vermont for taking on the supervision of the Disaster Case Management Program as well as fiscal oversight for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee.

RUTLAND COUNTY LONG TERM RECOVERY COMMITTEE &
RUTLAND COUNTY DISASTER CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM
Disaster Case Managers, John Miller & William Canfield
Volunteer & Resource Coordinator, Andrea Varney

08/12/2013

The work of the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee and Team Rubicon could not have be successful this weekend if not for the outpouring of support from the Rutland Region’s businesses, service organizations and community members.

Grace Church opened their doors to the team who slept there on cots provided by the Rutland Chapter of the American Red Cross. Food, cash and other support quickly poured in from Shrewsbury’s Irene Vounteers, Wallingford Congregational Church and the Town of Wallingford, Grace Congregational Church members, VFW Post 648, Walmart, Bab-a-Louis Bakery, and Terrill Street Discount Beverage. Information the area was provided by the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce.

It was this outpouring of support by the Rutland area, combined with the enthusiasm of the Team Rubicon’s volunteers, that insured the success of this past weekend’s projects. On behalf of the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee, I thank the Rutland Community for the incredible outpouring of support.

08/12/2013

Veterans mobilize to help Irene victims
By Josh O’Gorman
RUTLAND HERALD | August 12,2013


When federal and state governments failed to act, a veterans group stepped in to prevent further disaster.

This past weekend, 23 members of Team Rubicon responded to locations in East Wallingford, Mount Holly and Shrewsbury to clear away wreckage that still remained nearly two years after Tropical Strom Irene.

Formed in 2010 to respond to the earthquake in Haiti, the ranks of Team Rubicon — which includes veterans from the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard — have grown from six members to more than 10,000, all with the mission to provide disaster relief and perform community service.

“This kind of project is perfect for us,” said Don Vardell, an Army veteran from Portsmouth, N.H., and the volunteer communications manager for the Northeast region for Team Rubicon. “This is our fourth mission to Vermont in direct response to Irene.”

During the past year, Team Rubicon responded to the devastation following Hurricane Sandy and in May, they offered clean-up aid in the wake of a deadly tornado in Moore, Okla.

“These guys are combat-hardened and not content to just sit around. I thought this would be the perfect mission for them,” said Andrea L. Varney, volunteer and resource coordinator for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee, whose mission is to bring together various service organizations to provide disaster cleanup following Irene.

The Committee has raised $19,000 — $5,000 from Calvary Bible Church and another $14,000 from donors who wish to remain anonymous — to address three local projects this weekend.

One project involved clearing debris in the woods and surrounding a collapsed barn on Route 103 in East Wallingford. During another project, volunteers removed a flood-damaged mobile home on Freeman Brook Road.

Perhaps the largest project was on the Cold River in Shrewsbury. Floodwaters left an enormous pile of trees, refrigerators and other large appliances on a river bend behind a mobile home located at 5919 Cold River Road.

Federal Emergency Management Agency determined the mobile home was a second home, and decided the project was not eligible for disaster relief funding. But for the past two years, it’s been a daily source of worry for the residents living immediately downstream.

“It’s been so scary. You’re out there with a spotlight at night, watching the river,” said Doris Hall, who lives about 200 yards downstream from the debris pile. “The engineers told us to move out, but it’s not that easy. My husband is disabled and I don’t work, so you can’t just pack up and go.”

For nearly two years, Hall’s upstream neighbor, Christine Keklak, has lived in the shadow of the twisted metal and tree trucks, waiting in apprehension for the day the river floods again and turns the debris loose.

Despite living in the path of impending disaster, FEMA would not help her, she said.

“I’ve tried to get this cleaned up for two years. If your house is intact and you have access, FEMA doesn’t get involved,” said Keklak, who said she’s been similarly stymied by the state and the town.

“I kept being told, ‘We know about your issue, but there’s nobody living there (upstream),’” she said. “I would call one agency, which would refer me to another and then back to the first one. I was stuck in a loop, and it was a frustrating experience.”

Team Rubicon took up the challenge, and in a 24-hour period removed or burned about 30 tons of debris. In addition to providing a service, projects such of these are of enormous value to the volunteers themselves.

“Part of Team Rubicon’s mission is to bring together veterans so we can also offer support to each other,” Vardell said. “We’re connecting veterans from different generations. We have Vietnam vets and we have guys who were deployed up until two months ago.”

For Keklak, her disaster has also been, in its own way, a sort of blessing.

“I tell people, ‘It was the worst thing that ever happened to me and the best thing that ever happened to me,’” Keklak said, with tears in her eyes. “If it wasn’t for the flood, I never would have met these wonderful people.”

josh.ogorman@ rutlandherald.com