$8 Million Raised For Irene Recovery, More Will Be Distributed

(Host)  In his State of the State address Thursday, Governor Peter Shumlin proposed a special "Vermont Strong" license plate to help raise money for Tropical Storm Irene recovery.  Each plate will sell for $25.

As VPR's Steve Zind reports, the money raised will add to the more than $8 million already donated to Irene relief. But much of that has not yet been distributed.

(Zind)  The estimated $8 million to $10 million in Irene recovery donations received so far includes funds raised by the Vermont Community Foundation, dollars donated to the Governor's Vermont Long Term Disaster Recovery Group, and the donations given to numerous local relief funds.

Stuart Comstock-Gay is President and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation which is distributing nearly four million dollars of that money. 

It's going to farmers, mobile home owners and non-profit organizations.  Comstock-Gay says there's more need than there is money to go around.

(Comstock-Gay) "Oh absolutely!  In the farm alone we're able to award people up to 20 percent of their need and nothing more just because we can't afford that for everybody. The whole design of the relief is it's never going to make people whole."

(Zind)  Comstock-Gay says so far the community foundation has distributed about $2.5 million of the $4 million it's raised, including helping 171 farmers.

Another $2 million plus has been raised by the Governor's Long Term Disaster Recovery Group.   That will help individuals, many of whom lost homes or other property to Irene. 

It's designed as a follow up to FEMA assistance and insurance coverage.  For that reason, it's taking longer to distribute as people wait to settle with the government and insurers.

David Coates chairs the long term recovery group.

He says fund requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis.  So far just one case has been reviewed and approved, but Coates says money from the fund will begin flowing shortly.

(Coates) "There are many cases right now that are being worked.  This going to start very, very soon and its going to pick up in intensity quickly."

(Zind)  The Senate Transportation Committee has already unanimously gone along with the Vermont Strong commemorative plates.

The money raised will be administered by the group Coates chairs.  He says he hasn't seen any estimates on how much might be generated from the sales.

For VPR News, I'm Steve Zind.