BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Between 2011 and 2023, Vermont has seen 21 federally declared disasters that have caused millions of dollars in damage. But a new report reveals emergency management officials are falling short of following through on their own plans to prepare for such disasters.
From fires to droughts to floods and global pandemics, The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires states to have all-encompassing plans to receive disaster relief funding.
“What is the state of Vermont doing in a concerted effort to prepare for those incidents so that damage to property or threats to human life are minimized as much as possible?” explained Deputy State Auditor Tim Ashe.
Those plans require state agencies to complete projects ahead of time, with the intention of mitigating disasters. For example, in Vermont’s last plan written in 2018, the state said it would create new building standards in flood risk zones and create a way to track development in those zones.
But a new report from the state’s auditor says that never happened. In fact, the state has only completed 33 of 96 disaster mitigation goals.
“If they’re that important that they’re being signaled as being key elements of the state’s readiness, they deserve the funding and the staffing to get them done,” Ashe said.
He says Vermont isn’t missing out on any federal money for not meeting the goals and that the report isn’t intended to point fingers at emergency management. He adds the latest plan that was adopted in 2023 does not include any actions to address the outbreak of an infectious disease like COVID-19.
“We want to set high goals. We don’t want to set low goals that can be achieved. We want to put the bar out there so we can strive for something. So, sometimes you fall short of that, and we understand that,” said Vt Emergency Management Director Eric Forand.
He says hazard mitigation planning, in general, is aspirational and that the state’s plan is a living document, and that the state’s goals shift in priority. “When you set lofty goals, you can’t have as many resources as you want. We’re trying to adjudicate which goals we can attain now, which ones need more resources. Those are questions we’re asking every day,” Forand said.
He says state lawmakers will also play a role in providing more resources and staffing to get the work done.