VT first-responders return favor to flood-shocked North Carolina

By Guy Page

Calling it “one of the most important and good news stories of the year,” Efficiency Vermont director Peter Walke Wednesday, October 2 announced the new Button Up program offering up to $24,500 in rebates for home weatherization and required repairs.

Walke made the announcement at Gov. Phil Scott’s press conference Wednesday, October 2. 

The funding, available to low and moderate-income Vermonters, comes from Efficiency Vermont revenues and the federal government. 75% of weatherization costs will be paid, up to $9,500. The annual household income limit for three-member households varies from up to $128,400 in Chittenden County to $117,700 in Addison, $113,850, and $110,600 in all other counties. 

Also – a development both new and significant – up to $15,000 is available to repair roofs, foundations, ventilation, mold remediation, and plumbing if the work is required before weatherization can begin.

At the press conference, VDC asked Walke a couple of questions about the new weatherization program. 

Do you have enough installers?

All Vermont trades have significant worker shortages, and “weatherization is no different… We need more workers,” Wolk said. Efficiency Vermont has hired a workforce development creator. 

I’ve heard that Efficiency Vermont installers charge significantly more than other weatherization installers. Is that so and why?

“We make sure the customer is protected from jobs that don’t meet the specifications,” Wolk said. “There is a cost to doing that. It’s important that Vermonters know that work is done well.”

For more information, go to efficiencyvermont.com. 

Vermont first-responders are returning the favor to the flood stricken North Carolina town that is home to the North Carolina first responder team that assisted in Vermont flood recovery, Public Safety Commissioner Jen Morrison said at the press conference. 

Vermont first responders also have been active in Florida flood areas. Morrison said the loss of life, property, and quality of life throughout the south due to Hurricane Helena has been horrific.

WCAX reporter Calvin Cutler observed that just a few years ago, both Vermont and North Carolina were thought to be fairly ‘extreme weather proof’, compared to Florida and other sub-tropical, lowland states. Gov. Scott agreed, noting that recent flooding in areas like Hardwick and Lyndonville (not to mention traditional flood towns along the Winooski River) have shown that Vermont is more susceptible to flooding than once believed.

Ripton resident and climate change activist Bill McKibben noted in a recent Substack column that in North Carolina, the mountains trapped the moisture from ocean tropical storms, resulting in four inches of rain and unprecedented flooding.