A Vermont Public Radio broadcast covers the restoration progress of post Irene efforts while focusing its attention on culverts, a statewide infrastructure issue. The question here is, will towns replace washed out culverts with new culverts large enough to accommodate future floodwater loads. Ecosystems and infrastructure are damaged when these man made passages get overloaded or clogged with debris, resulting in expensive repair projects paid for by taxpayers. It is suggested by local culvert designers that if towns pay a little more upfront to increase culvert dimensions they will save money down the line. However, in the wake of flood relief, organizations, such as FEMA, who fund infrastructure restoration only support culverts that meet the minimal requirements. The presence of these contradictory short cut actions taken my federal organizations are essentially ensuring the continued damage of both infrastructure as well as ecosystems during high water events. All the information we have gathered regarding the redesign of culverts suggests only beneficial attributes to both towns and the surrounding environment. It is extremely unfortunate that federal funding is only setting up towns in Vermont for continual disaster relief programs.
Dillon,
John. “Post-Irene, Towns Consider Larger Culverts.” Vermont Public Radio
News, 11/28/11, 7:34am.
Listen to Broadcast: http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/92581/post-irene-towns-consider-larger-culverts/
Vermont Rebounding Quickly from Hurricane Irene's Hit
An article by John Schwartz in the New York Times was written about the initial impacts on Vermont by Hurricane Irene. It delves into where the resources of the state are going to. The most basic need that this article has outlined was the need for roads to be back up in running. After the roads were demolished by the flooding many different types of people came out and helped to try and get them back up, including New Hampshire and Maine Utilities workers, Army National Guard, and many other private contractors. Even Google helped out by providing a map of the unusable roads within Vermont. Every aspect was mentioned, Environmentalist Mary Watzin of the Rubenstein school of the Environment and Natural Resources was quoted about having transferred the problem downstream to a different part of Vermont, and that we need to be rebuilding for a better tomorrow in response to climate change.
For a full text: Vermont Rebounding Quickly from Hurricane Irene's Hit
Schwartz, John. "Vermont Rebounding Quickly From Hurricane Irene's Big Hit." New York Times 6 Dec. 2011: A1(L).General OneFile. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
Press Release by Gov. Shumlin and Vermont's Conressional Delegation Regarding Grant Money from FEMA
As of April 19th the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved eleven million dollars worth of grant money to the state of Vermont due to the extensive work that was done to the Vermont Railway Bridge 501 in white river junction. The bridge was severely damaged after Hurricane Irene and was at serious risk of collapsing if immediate reconstruction hadn't taken place. One pier had dropped by six feet due to the influx of water removing the river floor. Vermont was able to get the railway bridge working safely relatively quickly but not before spending an approximate fourteen million dollars. The money will be used to compensate for the time and resources used to restore such an important bridge. The grant money was a top priority for Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, as well as Representative Peter Welch. In a statement supported by all three they said: “Restoring this vital rail link was one of our state’s highest priorities. It was also one of the costliest. Federal reimbursement for our recovery from Irene was such a high priority for us in Congress because our small state needs a strong federal partner to build back from such widespread destruction. We are gratified that our work enabled the State of Vermont to move quickly and confidently in rebuilding Bridge 501, and in record time. We commend Governor Shumlin and all who helped get the job done.”
Vermont's Congressional Delegation. (2012). Gov. Shumlin, Congressional Delegation announce $11 million for bridge work [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://vtdigger.org/2012/04/19/gov-shumlin-congressional-delegation-announce-11-million-for-bridge-work/
