Hockey rink set aside for homeless pets

Scott relaxes DMV, environmental regs

By Guy Page
Support for Vermont flood victims, both human and animal, is pouring in from Vermonters and across the country. Here are a few examples:

At the Barre hockey rink, the Central Vermont Animal Disaster Response Team (VDART), a non-profit located in White River Junction, is caring for cats, dogs, and a rabbit left homeless by the flood. The animals belong to people whose homes are uninhabitable and who are staying in temporary housing where the animals can’t be with them. 

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has parked a big truck in the Wahlgreen’s/Lenny’s parking lot on Main Street in Barre. It’s the headquarters of a troop of volunteer chaplains who accompany the Samaritan’s Purse (located at the Granite Museum parking lot) cleanup crews. While the workers from Samaritan’s Purse (founded by the famed evangelist’s son Franklin Graham) muck out and de-mold buildings, the chaplains provide loving, listening, non-preachy support for the residents. 

The Salvation Army has stationed mobile kitchens next to the Barre Auditorium. They prepare food and then deliver it to homes, wherever needed. 

By far the largest physical presence at the Aud is Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, with trucks loaded with bottled water, food and supplies, and volunteers to man them. 

Amazon.com made a donation of 130 dehumidifiers and 699 fans to help Vermont communities with recovery from the July 10-11 flood event. Amazon reached out to Governor Scott’s office last week to make this offer. These resources were delivered to Vermont over the weekend and distributed to local communities.

Vermont National Guard logistics units distributed the fans and dehumidifiers. The Guard completed this distribution to 30 towns around Vermont on Monday. Local communities are using them to assist residents and businesses in their community.

Staff in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) worked to coordinate a handoff of the donations. The Vermont National Guard planned and executed a distribution delivery mission with soldiers from A Company, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain).

Amazon also made a $20,000 donation to the Vermont Community Foundation to assist with Vermont flood relief efforts.

Free Cricket cellphones will be given away 1-4 pm today, July 20, at the Barre Auditorium to qualified recipients.

For approved recipients, the program pays yjr introductory plan each month ($30 per month), and waives the cost of the first phone and the first activation fee, including taxes (limit one per household). There are some qualifications with the program, with applicants needing to have received government benefits, such as WIC, Pell Grant, Medicaid, SNAP, Veterans’ Pension, among others.

Governor Phil Scott yesterday added to his Emergency Declaration (Executive Order 03-23), providing additional temporary regulatory relief to aid Vermont’s response and recovery efforts:  

• the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles to extend license and registration renewals, and temporary registration certificates and number plates, for 60 days beyond their effective expiration date.

• the Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR)  to waive the production and fuel use limits for hot mix asphalt plants to help with emergency road repair; waive the certification limits of the Coventry Landfill and transfer station operating hours to allow longer hours and weekend days; and more.

• the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, to waive such rules and requirements as necessary to issue a temporary license, certification or registration to profession types equivalent to the Vermont Oil Heat Technicians, Vermont Propane Technicians, Vermont S-License Plumbers and Vermont S-License Electricians, and other professions regulated by the Division of Fire Safety.