State launches debris pickup effort in towns hit hard by flooding

State-led debris pickup begins Tuesday in one flood-impacted town and will continue in other municipalities over the coming weeks.

“It’s, you know, very painful for people who were flooded to be having to put flood debris out to the right of way, but at least we can get it picked up,” said Ben Rose, recovery and mitigation section chief with Vermont Emergency Management, in a Monday interview.

Rose emphasized the importance of separating hazardous waste from debris and waiting until there is a collection event for household hazardous waste. He pointed to guidance for debris management on the state emergency management website.

Typically, debris pickup is a municipality’s responsibility, Rose said, but the agency has offered a memorandum of understanding between the state and the hardest-hit communities. This allows the state to take on the responsibility of debris pickup on behalf of overwhelmed communities.

So far, six municipalities have executed a memorandum for state assistance: Barton Village, East Montpelier, Hinesburg, Huntington, Middlesex and Starksboro. Pickup begins Tuesday in Starksboro, while the schedule for the remaining communities will be set in the coming days, Rose said.

“I don’t want to create an arbitrary deadline, but this is not something that can languish,” Rose said.

The agency sent memorandums to about seven other municipalities that it’s still waiting to hear back from, Rose said, including Plainfield, which was particularly hard-hit.

Last year, Vermont’s contingency disaster debris management contractor, Ceres Environmental, carted away 6,000 tons of flood debris, mostly from Barre and Montpelier.

Like last year, Ceres Environmental will carry out debris work under the direction of the state Department of Buildings and General Services. The company will be overseen by monitoring contractor Tetra Tech to ensure compliance with documentation requirements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA “typically” reimburses 75% of eligible debris management costs, according to Rose.

In addition to the private contractor’s work, the Vermont Agency of Transportation may also provide support in the “residual mop up” of debris, Rose said.

“We have debris work that’s still going on from last summer’s flood,” he noted.

Read the story on VTDigger here: State launches debris pickup effort in towns hit hard by flooding .