Vermont to Receive $20M for Flood Recovery, Senator Welch Says

Vermont is set to receive $20 million in federal emergency funding to repair damages left behind by severe back-to-back flooding in July 2023 and July 2024, vermontbiz.com reported. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration within the Department of Transportation, the capital injection aims to restore roads, bridges, culverts, and embankments across 11 counties and 39 local communities.

Infrastructure Repairs Across 39 Flood-Hit Communities

The newly announced federal relief targets pockets of the state, where high-water events have occurred. From Addison County down to Windsor County, local public works departments face reconstruction costs. State officials note that the projects will focus on restoring bridges, culverts, embankments, and roads to improve safety and help keep Vermonters connected to the communities and services that they rely on every day.

“This $20 million in Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief funding is critical to help Vermont recover from the damage to our transportation infrastructure and deliver the repairs that our communities need in response to the flooding in 2023 and 2024,” said Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn.

The grant touches dozens of distinct municipalities, distributing aid to towns like Hardwick, Lyndon, and St. Johnsbury in Caledonia County, alongside Barre Town, Berlin, and Middlesex in Washington County. In Windsor County, projects stretch across Andover, Bridgewater, Cavendish, Chester, Ludlow, Plymouth, Reading, Royalton, and Weston.

Legislative Push for Long-Term Recovery Reform

While local crews work to rebuild, federal lawmakers are pushing structural changes to how disaster aid flows into rural America. In the wake of the catastrophic storms, U.S. Senator Peter Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act. The legislation is designed to cut red tape, support hazard mitigation efforts, and provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters.

Companion efforts include the Rural Recovery Act, which targets automatic funding for emergency recovery technical assistance through U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development state offices.

“This $20 million in federal funding will help Vermont restore vital transportation infrastructure, but there’s still much work to be done,” said Senator Welch, pointing to ongoing negotiations to secure the full delivery of long-awaited federal disaster relief.