July 2023 Flood Response

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Barre City July 2023 Flood Response

UPDATE 10/25/2023 at 5:30PM

At the October 24, 2023 City Council meeting, Governor Scott presented concepts and initial designs for North End recovery and resiliency.  The Governor and his team provided three PowerPoint presentations with renderings.  They can be viewed by clicking below:

 

UPDATE 10/13/2023 at 9:15AM

Important FEMA updates for residents impacted by the flood:

(1) The FEMA Recovery Center has moved from the Auditorium basement to the 3rd Floor of Alumni Hall. We encourage residents to make use of this in-person resource right here in Barre. FEMA reps at the Center can help you register and guide you through the process.
(2) The deadline to register with FEMA for disaster assistance has been extended to Tuesday 10/31. If you were impacted in any way, please register.

UPDATE 10/6/2023 at 3:00PM

You’re Invited!
Barre Up - Community Flood Recovery Forum

October 18, 2023

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at the Barre Opera House

FREE Pizza Dinner

Through community input and discussion so far, three critical areas of focus have emerged:

1. Housing

2. Social & Community Well-being

3. Infrastructure & Planning

Join one of the focus groups to hear status of current work, identify gaps, and think together about what could be done for the immediate and long-term future of the City. 

Zoom options and childcare are available.  Check out the event flyer for more details. 

UPDATE 9/27/2023 at 11:00AM

Stop by the Barre Up Hub in its new space at City Hall for its grand opening!  Details below and on this flyer.

EVENT: Barre Up Grand Opening

DATE: Wednesday, 9/27

TIME: 6:00-8:00PM

LOCATION: City Hall (Old Police Department -- available from N. Main Street)

UPDATE 9/21/2023 at 2:00PM

FEMA is requesting information from owners of multifamily properties that can be repaired to local, state and federal standards and be offered as temporary housing to survivors of the July flood.

Interested in being part of this recovery?

1. Read the FAQ document about this program.

2. Send an email to FEMA by October 27 at FEMA-DR4720VT-Housing@fema.dhs.gov with an email subject line of: RFI# 70FBR123I00000001 Response: MLR - DR-4720-VT

UPDATE 9/15/2023 at 5:00PM

Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Saturday September 16th will be a Volunteer Day in Barre to assist residents who may need assistance bringing eligible debris to the bulky waste drop at the BOR parking lot. If you are interested in helping, meet the volunteer coordinator at the City Hall Park Gazebo from 11am-3pm to help residents with transportation, yardwork, and canvassing. If you would like to request assistance from volunteers with getting debris to the bulky waste drop, please email volunteer@barrecity.org.

2. On Sunday, September 17th, the Rainbow Bridge Community Center is holding its first Community Care Day on the third Sunday of every month! In addition to distribution and aid, the Vermont Worker's Center, Department of Health, EmpowR Transformation, and local artists will be on hand providing services. A hot lunch will be served as well.

UPDATE 9/5/2023 at 10:00AM

The deadline to apply to FEMA for Individual Assistance has been extended to October 12.  Click here to view FEMA's press release.

To apply, you can:

You can also see FEMA reps in-person at the Auditorium at the Disaster Recovery Center. Their presence their will also be extended.

This is not an invitation to delay your application -- APPLY TODAY! The sooner you apply, the sooner your claim can be processed.

UPDATE 9/1/2023 at 4:30PM

You’re Invited!

Barre Up - Community Flood Recovery

September 13th 

5:30 pm: FREE Pizza Dinner

6:00-9:00 pm: Community Discussion and Forums

Barre Opera House

DOWNLOAD AN EVENT FLYER BY CLICKING HERE.

The goal of these forums is to bring together the full diversity of Barre residents, organizations, and partners in an open, inclusive dialogue to build understanding around flooding experiences and recovery and resilience efforts to create ideas for action for the immediate and long-term future of the city.

Come together for a community gathering to connect with fellow residents, listen, share, and form early thoughts about next steps and ideas for the future of Barre! Join us for a full community discussion followed by topic forums, food, and connection with neighbors.

The evening will start with a FREE pizza dinner in the Opera House lobby at 5:30 pm,  Full Community Discussion at 6 pm followed by breakouts on topic areas. Please attend the sessions most important to you. 

Can’t join in person? You can watch the 6:00 pm Community Discussion via Zoom and participate via chat only, and join a separate Zoom forum at 7:00-8:00 pm. Find the link to join at https://www.vtrural.org/barre-up/. 

All are welcome!

For more information visit https://www.vtrural.org/barre-up/  or contact Laura@vtrural.org or (802) 234-1646 for more information.

UPDATE 8/28/2023 at 9:15PM

Thank you to EVERYONE who came out this weekend for Green Up Day. We had 90+ New Englanders come out, from 9-year olds to ninety-year olds! This included the Governor's Office, Norwich University Hockey Teams, the Barre City River Access Task Force, Penn State Alumni, the Barre Strong t-shirt team, and other do-gooders! Food and drinks for the volunteers were provided by Enough Ministries.

These teams cleaned up several large locations, such as the BOR, Library, and various parks. You might have seen teams of volunteers roving down Main Street, branching off to Ward 2, and going down the Route 62 Median to the North End. Others took up the watershed by Cumberland Farms. Meanwhile, City staff and volunteers did a final sweep of residential debris, tires, mud and silt.

If you see someone, thank them! We are always looking for teams who got a second wind and want to help as we recover.   If you are interested in volunteering, email our coordinator at volunteer@barrecity.org.  

UPDATE 8/25/2023 at 9:15AM

Saturday Volunteer Activities Update:

This Saturday, August 26th, the City will be participating in a special statewide Green Up Day focused on flood recovery. Volunteers in Barre will be:

If you would like to participate, join the crews at City Hall Park at 10AM. Volunteer coordinators will have snacks and Barre Strong t-shirts for sale.  After instructions are provided, volunteers will be deployed to projects around the City and teams will reassemble at City Hall Park after the day's activities are done.

Come join and be part of the team that helps us take another step towards recovery.

UPDATE 8/23/2023 at 5:45PM

Parking Meter moratorium ends on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.  The City of Barre will resume enforcement of parking meters on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.  The City stopped enforcing meters after the July 2023 flood, and not one ticket has been issued since July 10, 2023.  However, enforcement will resume on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, and all regular parking rules will be in effect.  Tickets will be issued and enforced for any vehicles that are no in compliance. 

Street closures and traffic alerts.  Please check out the street closures map for the latest updates.

UPDATE 8/22/2023 at 11:00PM

Volunteer Updates:

(1) The BBQ's and fundraiser around the city this past weekend were big hits. Thank you to the many members of the community that came out for free food, drinks, and celebration! The road to recovery will be long, much, but it was great to also recognize the great work that has taken place the last few weeks.

(2) Over the past week, volunteer teams from Allagash Brewing Company, Physician's Computer Company, as well as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Barre have helped pick up residential debris. The state’s contractor will continue debris pick ups as well and it is expected that remaining debris will be collected this week.

As a reminder, any residential debris that had not been placed by the side of the road by August 7 will need to be disposed of by residents. If you are in need of financial assistance to assist with debris removal, please contact the Rainbow Bridge Community Center or FEMA.

(3) We are always looking for volunteers as well as people who would like to take a larger role in supporting our recovery. If you are interested, please email volunteer@barrecity.org or sign up at https://www.barrecity.org/flood/.


UPDATE 8/18/2023 at 9:30PM

Volunteer Update and Saturday Events:
Today was a great day for give-aways and service at Aldrich Library!

Saturday 8/19 will be a day of recognition for the hard work so many have put in five weeks after the flood:

Flood Recovery Updates:
1. Water System: Flushing of the water system continued today and will continue through next week. The water in our system remains safe for consumption. There is no longer any bottled water available for pick-up at the Auditorium.
2. Debris Pick-Up: Due to mechanical issues, residential debris pick-up could not be finished today and will stretch into next week.
3. FEMA at the Auditorium: The Disaster Recovery Center remains active at the Auditorium. You can speak with a FEMA representative 7 days a week from 8:00AM to 7:00PM.

UPDATE 8/17/2023 at 8:45PM

Volunteer and Relief Acitivities Updates:

1. The goods donation event at Aldrich Library was active, and within several hours the library was full.

2. Residents can continue to pick up goods from the Library on Friday, August 18th, from 10AM to 6PM.

3. Also on Friday, August 18th beginning at 11AM, the following groups will be located on the front lawn of the Library:

You can also come grab a free hot meal between 1PM and 3PM from Sarducci's, Hunger Mountain Co-op, and Misty Knoll Chicken.

Flood Recovery Updates:

1. System flushing continues and is expected to last through 8/25. We know some residents continue to experience discolored water. The water has been tested and is safe to drink. Free water is available at the Auditorium for residents who prefer it.

2. FEMA remains staged at the Auditorium. They are open 7 days a week from 8AM - 7PM.

3. Residential debris collection by the state’s contractor is expected to end Friday. Residents were required to have all debris out by August 7 for collection. Commercial debris collection has already ended.

4. The City has issued an RFP for a paving contractor to replace and repair paving damaged by the flood. The contract will be presented to the Council for approval at the 8/22 Council meeting and repair work to damaged streets will begin shortly after that.

UPDATE 8/17/2023 at 7:00PM

Updates from our volunteer activities:

1. In preparation for the end of residential passes by the State’s debris collector, the City is compiling volunteer sanitation squads to help residents in need of assistance in some of the lighter hit areas of the City. We are in need of people willing to volunteer a truck to drive around neighborhoods with volunteers picking up debris. If you can help, email volunteer@barrecity.org.

As a reminder, all debris had to be out by August 7. After this residential pass ends on Friday August 18, residents will be responsible for disposal.

2. Over the weekend we held a volunteer clean-up day in partnership with Vermont River Conservancy and the Barre River Access Task Force. With around 20 volunteers they reclaimed the floodplain, reinserted stepping stones, and resurfaced the trail tread.

3. Also on Saturday, the Granite City Garden Club along with several volunteers, continued to reclaim the tree plots along Main Street, disposing flood soaked silt, and replacing with new dirt and flowers.

As always, the City of Barre extends its appreciation to everyone who continues to step up and help with our recovery.


UPDATE 8/15/2023 at 1:00PM

Debris removal updates:
(1) The household hazardous waste drop-off location at the Auditorium will close on Friday, August 18. Check our the debris removal section of the website for details about items that can be dropped off at this location.
(2) Debris pick-up by the state contractor will end on Friday, August 18. The deadline for placing debris out for pick up by the state contractor was August 7. If it has not already been placed outside for pick-up, residents will be responsible for debris disposal.
(3) The City's dumpsters have been removed as of this morning. Please do not place debris in any dumpster located in the City unless it is your own.

UPDATE 8/13/2023 at 6:30PM

An updated street closures map has been posted, effective Monday 8/14/2023 through Friday 8/18/2023.  You can access the map on our website by clicking here.

UPDATE 8/9/2023 at 9:00PM

Volunteer Opportunity: Join Vermont River Conservancy and the River Access Task Force as they repair Barre’s river trail behind Rotary Park.  Volunteers will:

DATE: Saturday, August 12
TIME: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Meet at Rotary Park (56 Parkside Terrace)

For more details and sign-up information, click here to see the event flyer.

UPDATE 8/8/2023 at 9:15PM

Street Closures Update:  N. Main Street paving is complete, and it is OPEN to traffic.  As a reminder, you can always find the most current street closures map on our website.

UPDATE 8/7/2023 at 6:00PM

Street Closures Update: For Tuesday, August 8, N. Main will be CLOSED between Second and Fourth Streets from 6:00AM - 4:00PM. The re-paving should wrap up tomorrow, weather permitting.
As a reminder:
(1) Respect barricades (always, not just on N. Main)
(2) Seek alternate routes
(3) Violators will be ticketed

Keep the workers safe, and let us do the job right so the pavement lasts.

UPDATE 8/7/2023 at 9:15AM

System Wide Water Main Flushing Correction 8/7/2023*

The City of Barre Water Department will begin flushing water mains at midnight on Monday, August 7, 2023 and will continue for 6-7 days.*

Residents in higher elevations will be affected and water will be discolored. In case of dirty water, open cold water faucet for approximately 5-10 minutes to flush your service line. Customers are encouraged to draw water in advance for cooking and consumption.

The City of Barre conducts water main flushing to promote and maintain high quality drinking water supply to all residents and customers. The flushing process removes any accumulated sediment in the piping systems. The sediment may be minute mineral particles or byproducts from the aging of the pipe such as iron, calcium or other naturally occurring metals in the water and water supply system.

The water is safe for consumption as usual, as disinfection processes have been in continuous operation. The flushing activity removes as much of the sediment as possible but because the pipe system responds differently to hydrant use than everyday operations – some turbulence occurs outside of the pipe being actively flushed.

The water may be discolored during the operations as some sediment is stirred up and remains in suspension in the water. The water may appear light yellow to tan during flushing operations. Laundering may be slightly affected during the process because of the slight discoloration.

The recommended flushing time for a home is up to ten minutes as a means to assure that any water drawn into the house service is flushed out. The recommended faucet is a cold water high flow device such as a bath tub or outside hose bib. The target volume is 15 to 25 gallons of water. In some cases, there are suspended particles in the water main, which will be reduced by further flushing operations or natural settling over the course of 2 - 3 days.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. We welcome your feedback through the use of the city’s website or by calling to inform us of your water quality concerns.

-City of Barre Water Department

UPDATE 8/6/2023 at 9:15PM

N. Main Street from Blackwell Street to 5th Street from 6:00AM to 5:00PM is CLOSED for paving. No vehicles will be allowed through and violators will be ticketed. Please seek alternate routes.

By staying off N. Main you
(1) allow the crews working there to stay safe and

(2) do your part to ensure the pavement lasts longer.

UPDATE 8/6/2023 at 9:00PM

Flood-related debris pick up will start to wind down the week of August 7, 2023. If you have not done so already, please place FLOOD-RELATED debris on the edge of your property by Monday, August 7, 2023 at 5PM.

Have questions about where to place your debris? Here’s a handy guide:
NO DO NOT place it on the street
NO DO NOT place it on the sidewalk
YES DO place it on the edge of your property where the trash hauler can reach it

The contractor cannot go onto private property to grab debris  

If you are very eager to get rid of your flood-related debris, bring it to one of 3 City dumpsters on Merchants Row. These dumpsters will be removed by Friday, August 11, 2023.

Please check the Debris Pickup website for the most updated information.


UPDATE 8/4/2023 at 9:00PM

Please check out our volunteer website ("I want to Volunteer" and "I need Volunteer help") for more information.  The Saturday volunteer hub will continue to meet Saturdays from 10:00AM to 2:00PM at Aldrich Library. The City is grateful to everyone who has already stepped up to help our residents recover.

UPDATE 8/3/2023 at 3:30PM

Flood Recovery Updates:

UPDATE 8/2/2023 at 5:00PM

Street Closures Update: N. Main Street will be CLOSED Thursday 8/3 and Friday 8/4 from approximately 6:00AM to 7:00PM for re-paving. No vehicles will be allowed through, so please plan ahead and seek alternate routes.

As a reminder, you can always find the most current street closures map on our website.

UPDATE 8/2/2023 at 11:30AM

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off

Barre residents can now drop off flood-related household hazardous waste at the Auditorium!  Come to the back of the Auditorium parking lot (drive to the X on the map below) and sort and drop-off:

The site will be open for about two weeks. If you cannot physically drop-off materials, sort them on the corner of your property (NOT on City streets or sidewalks) and volunteers will be doing collections).

UPDATE 8/1/2023 at 4:30PM

Flood Recovery Updates:

UPDATE 7/31/2023 at 3:30PM

Debris Removal Update: The State's debris removal contractor has made great progress and should have its first pass across the City completed by Wednesday.  After the first pass is completed, there will no longer be any commercial pick-ups, per the agreement with the State. After the first pass is complete, commercial properties must place debris in their own dumpsters.  Subsequent passes by the contractor will occur for residential passes only.

UPDATE 7/28/2023 at 4:45PM

Need help with the flood recovery process? Come see FEMA at the Disaster Recovery Center located at the Auditorium (16 Auditorium Hill)!
+Kickstart your recovery
+Get help with your FEMA application
+Upload documents
+Get answers to your questions in-person
+Small Business Administration representatives will be present, too!

 The center is open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

UPDATE 7/27/2023 at 6:15PM

Flood Recovery Updates:

UPDATE 7/27/2023 at 8:45AM

UPDATE 7/26/2023 at 3:45PM

UPDATE 7/25/2023 at 2:00PM

UPDATE 7/24/2023 at 2:15PM

Programming note about the FEMA Town Hall Meeting tonight happening tonight from 5:00-7:00PM: CVTV will not be broadcasting the event live --- they will be taping it and the Town Hall will be re-broadcast in full on CVTV (http://cvtv723.org/) Tuesday through Sunday.

Not to worry! If you want to see the event live, there are still two easy ways of doing so:

(1) Attend in-person at the Barre Opera House

(2) Zoom in: If you cannot make it in-person and want to watch the event live, log in to Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86258984365?pwd=blMxOTJRbXdpWElvbDN1QU1ZSFJ4dz09

Meeting ID: 862 5898 4365
Passcode: 722029

One tap mobile: 1 (929) 205-6099

UPDATE 7/24/2023 at 12:00PM

Attention Barre merchants and business owners: The Small Business Administration will also be present at tonight's FEMA Town Hall to answer questions about the recovery process. The Town Hall is tonight (Monday 7/24) from 5-7PM.
Here is how to join:
(1) In-Person at the Barre Opera House (6 N. Main Street)
(2) Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86258984365?pwd=blMxOTJRbXdpWElvbDN1QU1ZSFJ4dz09

Meeting ID: 862 5898 4365
Passcode: 722029

(3) Watch a rebroadcast on CVTV from Tuesday through Sunday: http://cvtv723.org/

UPDATE 7/24/2023 at 9:15AM

UPDATE 7/21/2023 at 3:15PM

UPDATE 7/21/2023 at 6:30AM

Here is what's on tap for today the next couple of days:

Check out the Press Releases, Events & Announcements section of the website for a running list of flood recovery related events and information. 

Please note, routine website and Facebook updates may become less regular during the weekend. 

UPDATE 7/20/2023 at 4:00PM

UPDATE 7/20/2023 at 3:00PM

Flood Recovery Updates:

UPDATE 7/20/2023 at 10:45AM

UPDATE 7/19/2023 at 1:15PM

FEMA will be holding a Town Hall meeting to provide overviews of the recovery process and answer questions.

A Zoom link will be provided (and will be posted here and on our Facebook page). Participants will be able to listen via Zoom but only ask questions through the chat function.
CVTV will record the event as well.

UPDATE 7/19/2023 at 11:00AM

UPDATE 7/18/2023 at 5:40PM

UPDATE 7/18/2023 at 2:30PM

UPDATE 7/18/2023 at 12:15PM

UPDATE 7/17/2023 at 6:00PM

UPDATE 7/17/2023 at 12:30PM

Please see updates from the flood recovery:

UPDATE 7/16/2023 at 12:00PM

Street Closure Update: On Monday, July 17, Washington Street will be closed from W Patterson to the City line for a storm drain culvert replacement. The road will be closed to all traffic from 6:00AM until the work is completed.  Work on the site is expected to last most of the day.

UPDATE 7/16/2023 at 9:15AM

Relief Center Update: If you are heading to the relief center today, supplies and support will be available at the basement of the Auditorium. As you head up the Hill on Seminary, veer left before the Auditorium and volunteers will be available there.


UPDATE 7/15/2023 at 9:30PM

Please see the latest recovery updates:

UPDATE 7/14/2023 at 9:45PM

The latest street closures map has been posted under the Press Releases, Events & Announcements section of the website. 

UPDATE 7/14/2023 at 5:00PM

Curbside debris collection will begin tonight. Our vendor will begin collections this weekend covering the streets highlighted in the map below.
YES Flood debris, furniture, household goods, flooring
YES Separate metals
NO Household hazardous waste
NO Chemicals
NO Batteries
NO Tires
Please respect the rules and keep this limited to flood related waste.

UPDATE 7/14/2023 at 4:30PM

Call for volunteers!

We appreciate all the people who have reached out wanting to help with our recovery.  We appreciate your patience -- we have been focused on major clean-up efforts but are prepared to deploy volunteers to help with this process.

WHEN: Saturday, July 15 at 9:30 AM
WHERE: Aldrich Library lawn (6 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641). There is parking available near the library and behind City Hall. If you are local, it will be best to walk down. A tent with in-take volunteers will be set up on the lawn. Please check in there.
WHAT: Volunteers will be deployed to homes that advance teams have assessed for light to moderate clean-up. There will also be opportunities for teams to do light sweeping of dust and debris removal.
WHAT TO BRING: Heavy duty work gloves, boots, masks, brooms, dustpans (or shovels). Please also bring water and food if you have the access to it so that supplies can be reserved for families in need. There will be access to a refrigerator in the library to store limited amounts of food.

If you are in need of assistance or could use volunteers for light to moderate work, please also come by and we will send teams if they are available. Volunteers will not be deployed to do muck outs at this time.

Thank you for stepping up for our community!

UPDATE 7/14/2023 at 11:00AM

Please see below for updates on the recovery and clean-up.

UPDATE 7/13/2023 at 9:00PM

A street closure map was added to the website.  You can access it here under Press Releases & Announcements, or by clicking here.

UPDATE 7/13/2023 at 1:00PM

Please see below for updates on the recovery and clean-up.

UPDATE: 7/12/2023

The City will be maintaining and updating this page with important information regarding the flood response.

We appreciate everybody's patience as we begin to dig out from this historic flood. Our crews and staff have been working around the clock to plan our response. We know people are ready to come out and help, but we ask for your patience so we can deploy volunteers effectively, efficiently, and - most importantly - safely.

Here are some key updates and things we are working on right now. Details on all of this will be forthcoming during the day:

There is a lot of work ahead of us -- but Barre is resilient and we will come back stronger than ever.

In This Section:

I want to volunteer
I need volunteer help
Press Releases, Events & Announcements
Recovery Resources
Street Closures
Debris Pickup
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