By Anson Tebbetts - Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
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It’s hard to believe it happened again this summer. Floods and flash flooding once again have hit families and farming again. As we head into fall, the clean-up and recovery will continue from the summer flooding. It was a tragic summer for many. We are mourning the loss of Vermonters who died after getting caught up in the flash flooding. It also caused millions of dollars of damage with thousands of acres impacted by the severe weather. We witnessed bridges, roads and crops wiped out. Some dairy farmers were forced to milk their cows by generator for days and in some cases, milk had to be dumped because there was no way a truck could reach the farm. Beautiful crops were gone in a matter of minutes because of historic rainfall. We are grateful for all the first responders, emergency management officials, contractors, volunteers and neighbors who stepped up in this crisis. The workload was overwhelming and continues. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets has compiled resources, guidance, and contact information that can support agricultural recovery from flooding. You can find the Post Flooding – Technical Assistance Toolkit and other compiled resources online. Within the toolkit, you will find a variety of resources such as next steps for farmers, technical assistance opportunities, mental health resources, enterprise specific guidance, financial assistance programs, and more. In addition to the full-length toolkit, one pager with key information is available for targeted and brief reference. This will not be a quick recovery for many especially with those who have endured two straight summers of severe weather. We are thankful for our federal partners, UVM Extension and all state employees Vermont Emergency Management to the Agency of Transportation for helping in this latest recovery. For flood related questions or concerns, please email AGR.FloodResponse@vermont.gov or call 802-828-2430. Hoping for a calm, safe and productive fall for all Vermonters.
Anson Tebbetts - Vermont Secretary of Agriculture |
