Shumlin: No Estimate Of Irene Flood Damage Cost

AP/Toby Talbot

Damaged household items line the yard of a flood-damaged home in Northfield. Cleanup has just started following the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene.

Six days after Tropical Storm Irene swept across Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin says there's still no estimate of the total cost of damage to homeowners and businesses as the state seeks additional federal assistance.

In small rural communities like Jamaica, many residents are still isolated because of road damage from heavy flooding.

But Shumlin says the state is working around the clock with contractors to establish access roads.

"All we're trying to do is to collect enough information with our FEMA assessors right now to qualify for the funding that we need to get rebuilt here," Shumlin said Friday. "We stop counting when we hit the magic number."

President Obama has declared that a number of Vermont counties are a federal disaster area and many other areas are expected to be added to that list.

Right now, Shumlin says to have any kind of discussion about damage estimates would be "like going to Las Vegas."