For residents seeking financial federal relief for major Irene-related damage to their homes, there is a long road ahead. That was the clear message at Tuesday night’s Woodstock Selectboard meeting, where Peter Fellows of the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) discussed the guidelines involved.
Fellows spoke about two programs homeowners can apply for: (1) The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, or HMGP, and (2) the Increased Cost of Compliance program, or ICC.
The HMGP program mainly involves homes that suffered damage to greater than 50 percent of the pre-Irene property value (Homes with less than 50 percent damage must undergo a cost-benefit test, according to TRORC’s website). In this process, an applicant needs a special certificate from a FEMA representative or the local zoning administrator, affirming that the home has 50-percent damage. HMGP also requires a 25-percent non-federal match, TRORC states. (Requirements other than these are likely to apply, as the process is far from simple — a fact of which Woodstock Early Birds are already keenly aware).
To those seeking HMGP relief, Fellows said be warned: you will be in a ranking process with many municipal projects and other residential ones. According to Fellows, municipal projects will probably be given priority.
The ICC program offers up to $30,000 in emergency relief to qualifying homeowners. In this program, the home has to be in a designated flood hazard zone and must be covered by flood insurance. In addition, ICC requires documented proof that the home has suffered either one pre-Irene flood event causing 50-percent damage, or two pre-Irene flood events causing 25-percent damage each time. (Again, residents applying may well find other requirements as they navigate these federal programs).
Residents who are accepted for FEMA relief can expect 75 percent of any repair project to be covered by FEMA, according to Fellows. He added that due to other costs related to the application – which are borne by the homeowner – the relief ends up covering more like 70 percent of the project.
For further information, TRORC can be reached at (802) 457-3188, and Woodstock Village and Town offices are reachable at (802) 457-3456. TRORC’s website, www.trorc.org, has an Irene Recovery Section and downloadable FEMA forms.
Any residents who think they might qualify for these programs should look into them right away. According towww. trorc.org , a letter of intent for HMGP is due by Dec. 30 and the application deadline for this round of grants is on Jan. 20, 2012.
Leaving the residential for the municipal side, Woodstock Municipal Manager Phil Swanson told the Woodstock Selectboard the Town is applying for FEMA funds to repair damage to a number of bridges, including the Happy Valley Road bridge, the Roberts Road bridge and the bridge over Curtis Hollow Brook.
Also, Woodstock is applying for $138,000 from FEMA for sewer line protection project along the Ottauquechee River. This would essentially be putting down a massive amount of rock to cover and protect the line that runs along a 1,000-foot stretch of the bank behind the Ottauquechee Health Center, the Shire Motel and including The Snow Dump where a massive amount of dirt and bank was cleared by flooding. Swanson explains the town will supply the stone for the project, since it can get the stone at a lower cost than FEMA would offer.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 