BURLINGTON, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced the delivery of over $7.84 million in new federal funding, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to help Vermont rebuild and recover infrastructure damaged by statewide severe flooding, landslides, and mudslides from 2017 to 2024.  

This funding includes $3,321,337 to Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to repair and replace culverts and train tracks along the Washington County Railroad to restore the railroad back to its pre-disaster function and increase climate resiliency. The funding also includes $656,766 to the Town of Craftsbury for bridge repair and $3,871,746 the Town of Hardwick Electric Department to restore its hydro generation penstocks and make flood-resiliency improvements. 

“This new federal funding, totaling nearly $8 million, will make a world of difference in helping Vermont repair vital infrastructure damaged from years of natural disasters. But some communities have waited nearly a decade for this funding to come down—it’s a case study in exactly why FEMA is in need of dire reform,” said Senator Welch. “Congress must come together to pass legislation like my Disaster AID Act to ensure disaster-impacted communities in every corner of our state can access federal resources when they need it most.” 

Senator Welch has advocated for disaster aid funding throughout Vermont’s catastrophic back-to-back flooding in July 2023 and July 2024. On the anniversaries of Vermont’s brutal floods, Senator Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act, which would cut red tape and support hazard mitigation efforts, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster response. The bill was inspired and shaped by the disaster recovery experience of communities across Vermont.  

The Senator also introduced the Rural Recovery Act, which would create a new program at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) to provide RD state offices with automatic funding for emergency recovery technical assistance after disasters take place in their jurisdiction. 

Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.    

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