Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative Brattleboro Community: Building Flood Resiliency
- Details
By some estimates, at least a quarter of businesses never reopen after a disaster. The Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative, or VERI, is hoping to lower that number, by working with five towns in Vermont, including Brattleboro. The goal is to help businesses affected by a future disaster to “bounce back, not break.” The first public forum for Brattleboro was held October 15, 2014. We'll be posting a summary of that forum soon.
VERI is led by DHCD in collaboration with the Agencies of Natural Resources and Transportation, and Regional Planning Commissions. The project is designed to help Brattleboro and other towns evaluate the flood risk to business and infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities), and identify the steps towns and the state can take to minimize rebuilding and recovery costs and ensure businesses stay open—saving jobs and protecting the economy. VERI is modeled on the success of a similar project in Bennington that reduced the flood impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and saved the town and businesses millions of dollars in economic damages.
The project is funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Besides Brattleboro, four other towns in Vermont were selected to participate in VERI based upon their flood risk and economic activity: Barre, Woodstock, Enosburg, and Brandon.
More information:
- Brattleboro Community Forum flyer (Oct. 15)
- VERI project overview
- Bennington case study
- Whetstone Brook Irene Damage Map
or contact:
- Jeff Nugent: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 802-257-4547 ext. 111
- Kim Smith: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 802-257-4547 ext. 108
