To the editor: State working hard to help storm recovery efforts

As we have all experienced, our state has certainly seen challenging times during this month, with massive flooding in Vermont causing significant losses and hardship for many residents and business owners in our communities.

It is heartbreaking to see our friends and neighbors dealing once again with the catastrophic events resulting from changing weather patterns so soon after the losses suffered in Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

During the July storm and immediately afterwards, I have been in touch with all of our town administrators and many select board members in my legislative district. I am so thankful for and appreciative of all of the hard-working town employees, first responders and so many volunteers who are working on behalf of all of us.

Since the storm, I have met with FEMA representatives at its office in Londonderry to review the available resources available to our communities; and I participated in a legislative briefing on the state flood response and recovery resources.  Visiting constituents who had damage to their properties brought the depth of the destruction to so many houses, driveways and dirt roads in these towns to a more personal level.

This Thursday, July 27, I will be in Montpelier for a meeting of the Commerce and Economic Development Committee, on which I sit, to discuss the status of statewide recovery operations and available assistance to those who have suffered personal and business losses.

As our communities come together to repair and recover in the aftermath of this weather event, it is important to know that we at the state level are gathering information to provide assistance and leadership to mitigate the recurring damage to our properties and businesses in the face of future destructive storms.  As strong and resilient as Vermonters are in the face of such adversity, we must develop solutions to protect our towns and citizens from the impact of future climatic changes.

I encourage everyone to report any on-going property damage caused by this storm by calling 211.

You may contact me by email at hchase@leg.state.vt.us  or by phone at 802-875-4663.

Heather Chase
State Representative
Windsor-Windham District
Grafton, Chester, Athens and Windham