Vermont governor streamlines building of temporary emergency housing for flood victims

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — As winter approaches, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott took steps on Tuesday to streamline the building of temporary emergency housing for victims of the catastrophic summer flooding.

Scott signed an addendum to his emergency declaration that temporarily suspends all state and local regulations that could prevent or slow the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s plans to build the housing on city-owned property in Montpelier.

“As FEMA works to provide direct housing assistance for flood victims in group housing sites, it is essential they are not delayed by state and local regulations,” Scott said in a statement. “This action will allow the project to move forward quickly to establish the temporary mobile housing site in Montpelier that FEMA has been closely coordinating with the state and city of Montpelier.”

The city, however, said Tuesday that it’s unknown when the 20 trailers will go up on city property. Montpelier has finalized a lease agreement with FEMA to use the property for temporary housing for flood victims, officials said. The timeline for the construction is unknown, and the federal agency estimates residents can move in 30-60 days after breaking ground, city officials said.

FEMA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The July storm dumped two months’ worth of rain in two days in Vermont, flooding Montpelier, the state’s capital city, as well as other communities in central and southern Vermont.

The trailers will be built on 8.5 acres (3.4 hectares) of the 133-acre (53.8-hectare) property formerly owned by the Elks Club, the city said. FEMA will extend and connect utilities to the site, which the city can eventually use for long-term housing, officials said. FEMA will pay Montpelier $42,768 per month to use the property, the city said.

“I’m very thankful to the voters in Montpelier who approved the purchase of this property two years ago,” Montpelier Mayor Jack McCullough said in a statement. “Without this space, we wouldn’t be able to provide emergency housing when our community needed it the most.”

Scott said Monday that many families are going into the holiday season still trying to make repairs to their flood-damaged homes and that some are living with family and friends.