From the Friday morning Town of Woodstock Flood Response Meeting:
Town Manager Phil Swanson asks us to clear up any rumors to the contrary and to believe: The water is safe to drink.
Water samples have been reviewed by the State of Vermont and Woodstock Aqueduct has been told it can lift the boil order. Even our own Town “Water Boy” Bob Pear, who has probably been the most conservative on this issue of anyone, has turned his ice-maker back on and is enjoying his beverages with those muni water ice cubes.
Message All Over the Place:
HELP is available from local sources to help you or your friends and family through personal assistance processes. Wow. That’s jargon. What Woodstock Early Bird is trying to say is there’s help with the paperwork and the human work. Help to deal with other people saying “We can’t help you.” There ARE local folks ready to help:
1. Two Law Firms in Woodstock are offering FREE legal assistance to help anyone cope with paperwork, legal advice related to recovering from Tropical Storm Irene. They are Hayes and Windish and Shillen and Mackall.
2. Charlotte Cleveland is offering help to anyone who needs it to advocate for them through the FEMA process. Filling out forms, making the call, explaining justifications of how the federal government “sees” your disaster. She is available for a meeting at the Town Hall in the Lister’s Office BY APPOINTMENT. To make an appointment with Charlotte Cleveland, please contact Emergency Services Dispatch at 457-2337. P.S. The deadline for FEMA assistance applications is October 31st.
3. Vermont Law School has set up a free clinic to assist anyone with filing paperwork. Again, you can meet with a local person who is used to bureaucracy, or at least not afraid of it, to guide you along.
3.More Good News: A Federal Emergency Management Agency Office will be coming to town. The set- up will be mid-week next week at the Grange Community Hall in West Woodstock. This will be a place to speak to a “real” human about your needs, your questions and the process to getting both short-term and long-term assistance. This office will be able to handle folks who have ALREADY REGISTERED. When the office opens, it will be for people who have called the 1800 number or registered online and been given a FEMA number. Take a number, get some help! Repeat: The deadline for FEMA assistance applications is October 31st.
Small Business Loan Disaster Loan Deadlines: For Physical Damages: October 31st, 2011. For Economic Injury: June 1, 2012.
4. Local Structural Assessment Help: Woodstock’s Chris Miller and a team of structural engineers is offering to come out to your property and help assess your situation. Call 457-102 or email him at cbmiller55@gmail.com
5. Counseling:
A. We’ve just finished speaking with a local counselor who notes that now that the initial adrenaline of dealing with the flooding is wearing off and we are now in a recovery phase, people are starting to “tank” in terms of their energy level and their ability to deal with what is known in the trade as the ‘”critical incident”. Even for apparently simple things like you’ve got a case of nerves, temper, challenged humor, there are people with training to talk with you or simply listen. Have yourself a good vent if you need it. And, of course, for more serious ongoing troubles, local counselors are ready to go. You can make contact by visiting the Volunteer Command Center in West Woodstock. There are about five trained counselors who are making themselves available.
B. After the Flood: The Emotional Impacts of a Natural Disaster. A meeting at the West Woodstock Fire House #2 on Tuesday, Sept. 13th from 5pm to 7pm. It’s a workshop open to anyone in the community to learn what to watch for and how to help people who have been through a natural disaster. Leading the workshop are our friends: Suzi Whitehurst and Adam Amelee.
6. Riverside Park Meeting: Residents of Riverside Park are invited to a special meeting on Tuesday night at 6pm at the Thompson Senior Center to hear about that neighborhood’s specific issues — Housing, Clean-Up and so forth.
Riverside Park residents are expressing concern about whether they will be allowed to even re-build in the Ottauquechee River flood plain. One thing we can tell you as of this morning. No determination has been made one way or the other. It is NOT up to the Town of Woodstock to make that decision. It is purely a federal and/or State determination. As of this moment, no one has said you can’t rebuild. Rep. Alison Clarkson is going to be the touchpoint for these State and Federal questions with regards to Riverside Park.
7. Housing: Woodstock Community Activist and Volunteer Joanne Boyle is coordinationg housing for the residents of some 25 homes that are completely uninhabitable. Please call her at 457-7057 is you might have a place for a family to live short-term. Apparently there are fewer individuals that need places, more small groups of people who need to get out of the very-short-term rooms they have been sheltered in.
In additional housing news, with regards to possible second homeowners letting out their space, Police Chief Robbie Blish and Rep. Alison Clarkson are working with Attorney Tom Hayes to work up a legal document to protect their interests if they are willing to enter into an agreement to provide short-term housing. While Gov. Peter Shumlin solicited housing help from second homeowners he did not give any details on how this might be done. These local folks are trying to make arrangements in the best way possible while keeping homeowners rights and interests in mind.
8. Potential for Contracting Scams and Graft: Unfortunately, there are those who assume they can take advantage of people following a disaster. Police Chief Blish says please watch out for this. If some fix-up deal is too good to be true, people promising work without contracts, asking for money up front, saying you are a “test” case FORGET ABOUT IT!
9. SEVCA at Volunteer Command Center in West Woodstock TODAY from 3-5pm. This is a local community group, Southeast Vermont Community Action who can provide vouchers for housing, utilities, clothing, food, furniture and so on.
There’s always more. The Town of Woodstock webmaster Renee Vondle is updating their website daily so please continue to check it for the most up-to-date and OFFICIAL information. A reminder that social media provides us with great immediate news and info. However, sources may not be accurate. Especially with regards to roads and travel, you might be best calling the Vermont State Police for the most reliable information.
Also, Woodstock Early Bird would like to suggest (as a former National Park Service Ranger) for people traveling to Vermont who depend on their GPS devices — they do not necessarily have our entire system of dirt roads mapped correctly. Even in the best of circumstances people end up knocking on private homes asking for tours of the National Park or they end up in a ditch “because my GPS told me to go here.”
Now, with Vermont’s infrastructure compromised, awareness of where you are (looking out the window!) is exceedingly important. If it looks like an impassable road, it probably is. Tell your GPS lady (or guy) to settle down and let YOU do the navigating! Be aware that some roads are just open for repairs. Please be respectful of workers. “Flood Tourism” is not really helpful in the long run.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 