Hello Everyone!I wanted to send out another update regarding Town items and disaster relief.
We held a public meeting/dinner last evening and had a good turn out. A big thank you to the American Legion Post #7 for hosting and the Civic Standard for organizing. Many thanks went out to the Civic Standard and the Hardwick Neighbor to Neighbor Group for their ongoing community efforts as well. I also want to extend the Towns appreciation to many dump truck and equipment owners that converged on the town garage when the rain stopped to lend their assistance to the road reconstruction efforts. Many Thanks to Scott and Ronnie Brown, Perry and Son’s, Fred Vance, Ivan Menard and crew, Michelle and Tyler Demers and Gravel Construction, I know there is more and will continue to be more and I truly appreciate it, Your community thanks you.
Relief efforts that are happening right now:
The Distribution Center that was stood up at The Senior Center (56 High Street) is now in full swing, we are taking in items that will help with immediate flood relief efforts (Cleaning Supplies, pumps, Shop vacs, Dehumidifiers, Hand tools, personal protective equipment, fans personal hygiene items and some household items). There will be more deliveries in the days and weeks to come so keep in touch with the staff there or email them at hardwickneighbors@gmail.com
Continue to to report flood related damages to the States 211 Hotline. If you have damage to your home and have not yet reported the damage, please report it large or small…The information collected on these calls are what FEMA uses to determine if a declaration for individual relief is needed.
******IMPORTANT********
In a FEMA briefing this morning, they said households in undeclared counties should apply by phone now. Then when the declaration is made, they’re ahead of the curve. Plus, it helps to gather information showing the need for an individual assistance declaration. That number is 800-621-3362. FEMA assistance for home repair and damage is a grant. Applicants from added counties will need to apply within 60 days of the original declaration, which was July 14. Local community members are standing by to assist with this process, if you feel that applying for this assistance will be overwhelming, please reach out to The Hardwick Town Manager’s Office at (802) 472-6120 or the Neighbor to Neighbor Hotline at (802) 441-3301
For damage to personal property, transportation, child care, moving or storage expenses, medical and dental expenses, including replacing lost medications and equipment, households need to first apply for a Small Business Administration loan. Then, if the household is below certain income thresholds, SBA will refer the application to FEMA for a grant. I know it’s confusing, but those are the steps. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
Farms should contact the county Farm Services Agency as soon as possible and start the process of reporting losses. Knowing the losses will also help us in securing supplemental assistance. Plus, the deadlines for the existing emergency programs vary, but in some cases are quite tight.
More information is forthcoming….Please share widely and contact the Town Manager’s office with questions or concerns!
Thank you and stay well!