Peter Welch: “1 year ago this very week, rain started to fall in Vermont, and, for days on end, it did not stop. The rain turned into…”

“1 year ago this very week, rain started to fall in Vermont, and, for days on end, it did not stop. The rain turned into catastrophic flooding. We had our entire usual rainfall in just days. The damage was immense. We experienced landslides. Vermonters were stranded and had to be rescued. Three people, tragically, died. Homes, farms, and businesses were damaged and destroyed. The infrastructure and services that we take for granted and depend on--the wastewater plants, our dams, our bridges, and even our capital city's post office--were damaged by the flood. Some have not yet been repaired-- many, in fact. The statistics from Vermont are astounding. There were 214 swift water rescues--swift water rescues: people who couldn't get out of their home except by being rescued by folks on boats--and 70 evacuations. Eighteen drinking water and 33 wastewater systems were damaged. Three wastewater systems were damaged beyond repair. Mr. President, 139 of our municipalities experienced flood damage, 64 State bridges and 46 State roads were closed, and over 6,000 tons of debris were removed by the State of Vermont. There were 6,146 FEMA Individual Assistance registrations. It was an all-hands-on-deck moment in Vermont, just as it is in other communities where they face a major disaster, and people showed up: neighbors and volunteers, first responders, police officers, medical professionals and emergency workers, the National Guard.…”