The flooding has exacerbated Vermont’s existing housing crisis, which is the biggest challenge the state faces in the flood recovery right now, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said.
After Tosh Gilmore’s home flooded in Johnson, she hung a sheet on her house spray-painted with the message “WE NEED FEMA” and her phone number. She received money for rental assistance and her belongings and spent about two months in motels while she searched for housing. “It’s really hard. The options are limited, they’re expensive, they’re snatched up really quickly,” said Cooper, who for now is staying with friends. Between the two parks in Berlin, about 40 households were affected, she said.
“I’ve spoken to many people in the industry who install furnaces and so forth. They are just working seven days a week and can’t catch up,” he said, adding that Vermont is trying to alleviate the problem by reaching out to other states and retirees who might want to return to the field. During the flooding, Morris, her husband and his mother had just enough time to pack their three kids, her mother-in-law and two cats into the family’s van and truck. They eventually drove out after the van got stuck in rising water and spent the night in their vehicles in a nearby church parking lot on a hill. Morris’ mother-in-law, who owns the mobile home and has lived there for 23 years, grabbed her sister’s ashes and her father’s jewelry before fleeing.