Now that water has receded and some roads are passable, Vermonters are beginning to see the full scope of the destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. Irene was brutal and her damage uneven. We were largely unaffected in Montpelier, with some downtown business being hit hard. South Royalton, home of Vermont Law School, suffered $10 million in damage and many colleagues and students literally lost everything. While the last Vermont town that was completely cut-off was reached by ATVs on Friday, some Vermonters still cannot get out of their homes. And yesterday, we drove through Waterbury, located just north of Montpelier. The downtown district and nearby homes were near completely destroyed. The insides of entire homes lay piled upon the streets…appliances, toys, clothes, insulation, dry wall. It will take Vermont years to recovers, and, with winter quickly approaching (it could snow next month), many basic road and bridge fixes cann;t get done this seasons. Many grade schools are still closed and may not open for weeks, schools lost all their art supplies and pianos, and the state office buildings in Waterbury are closed indefinitely having suffered over $4 million in damage. I would like to make the following announcement:

FEMA Support from Vermont Law School the Land Use Clinic
The Land Use Clinic is assisting community members with FEMA forms, insurance claims, and other property damage-related Irene help. For more information, call 802-831-1028 or go to the law school library between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday or between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

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