The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has recently produced a Flood Resilience Checklist for Vermont Communties. This tool is a Vermont-focused update of the EPA Checklist that was prepared with communities in the Mad River Valley and is available on the Resources page of Flood Ready Vermont.
Who should use this? When?
Use this checklist when you begin work on municipal plan updates, Hazard Mitigation Plans and other efforts to make the community more resilient. The Planning Commission can use this tool to assess current conditions and help set integrated priorities. Selectboards and local entities working on emergency response and hazard mitigation can use it to evaluate community readiness and to avoid preventable flood damages and costs.
Why is it important?
Completing this checklist is the first step in assessing how well your community is positioned to avoid or reduce flood damage, reduce insurance rates and to protect people and property.
Municipalities also have an opportunity to increase the amount of relief funds available after flood damage by taking steps for the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF).
Checklist Contents
Find questions about how your municipality can address flood risks under the following topics:
- Municipal Plan (Page 3)
- Non-Regulatory Flood Resilience Strategies (Page 7)
- Regulatory Flood Resilience Strategies (Page 9)
- Emergency Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation Strategies (Page 11)
The checklist can be completed by hand on paper or as a .pdf form. The Department of Housing and Community Affairs is interested in what steps communities are taking and are preparing to take. The checklist results can be sent directly to DHCA to help inform them of your community's work and needs.
Your checklist responses will help state agencies better provide assistance to all municipalities.
Flood Resilience Checklist for Vermont Communties.
