Tagged: FEMA Funding

The fiscal committees of the Vermont Legislature received an update on Irene recovery efforts on Thursday, including when FEMA might tell the state how much federal funding it will get.

There's still no definitive word on how much Vermont can expect in federal help with recovery from Tropical Storm Irene.

Deputy Administration Secretary Michael Clasen told a legislative committee on Thursday that it's expected to be January before the state can expect a firm answer.

Officials in the administration of Gov. Peter Shumlin expressed confidence earlier this year that FEMA would cover up to 90 percent of the estimated $120 million in costs tied to recovery from the storm in late August of last year.

Vermont lawmakers are coming to the defense of Governor Peter Shumlin's administration following criticisms by a candidate to unseat him that he misled the Legislature and the public about the amount of post-Irene disaster relief Vermont was likely to get.

Representative Alice Emmons, a Springfield Democrat and chairwoman of the House Institutions and Corrections Committee, says her panel purposely built a good deal of flexibility into this year's state construction budget because of uncertainty about funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.