Lawmakers Hear Updates On Irene Recovery

Thursday morning they heard from administration officials about relief efforts in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

The session started with a standing ovation for the Agency of Transportation and the work it did to repair roads in the wake of the flooding.

But officials with the Shumlin administration told lawmakers that there's still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding how much of that work, and the repairs done by towns will be covered by the federal government.

Neal Lunderville heads the administration's Irene recovery effort.

Lunderville cautioned legislators that it will take years for some Vermonters to recover from the storm, and that the assistance available can't make them whole.

He said more than a thousand households were displaced by Irene.

(Lunderville) "There are ongoing issues with housing. We know that are not enough available units in places where people lost their housing. This is a tough issue. There are also folks that are in temporary or inadequate situations. There's somebody who's living in an RV. Somebody who's living at a neighbor's house."

(Host) Lunderville says the state and federal governments are trying to identify people who are still in temporary housing situations to help them find something permanent.

Thursday afternoon lawmakers will hear updates on state revenues and on the administration's health care and energy plans.