Home 
Site Index 
Contact Us 

Emergency Management

Reporting Damage

For immediate assistance with:

  • an occurring dangerous event: dial 9-1-1,
  • a hazardous materials event: dial the Hazardous Materials Hotline at
    1-800-641-5005,
  • a local emergency requiring state assistance: contact the Vermont Emergency Management Duty Officer at 1-800-347-0488.
  • A power outage, click here.

Do not use these numbers to get information. Dial 2-1-1 for information
during a disaster or listen to radio and TV for emergency information. You
can also check the links under Disaster News to the right.

To report severe weather, flooding, or significant snow or icing to the National Weather Service in Burlington use the link below.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/btv/html/storm_report.shtml - Open in New Window

It is important to report damage from a disaster incident as soon as practical once the situation is safe.  That way, local and state emergency officials will have a fast and accurate awareness of emergency conditions and any resulting damage, helping them to request adequate resources and possibly making state or federal disaster assistance available.  If possible, leave the damage in place until an insurance agent or local or state official can verify it.

Individuals and businesses

Individuals and businesses should contact their insurance agent as well as their town's designated Emergency Management Director/Coordinator to report damage from a disaster. If that official is not known, then contact any town official and ask who is collecting this information for the town.  Provide them with your name, physical address and extent of damage. Take pictures and do not exaggerate.

Remember – flood damage is NEVER covered by homeowner’s insurance, only by flood insurance. Also, not all disasters will be large enough to qualify for disaster relief, and such relief is usually only a fraction of what is needed to recover fully.  Therefore, people should strive to reduce the effects of disaster through preparedness and mitigation instead of assuming that there will be government aid after an event. Click on the buttons to the right to learn more about Preparedness and Pre-Disaster Mitigation.

Municipalities or non-profits

Municipalities or non-profits that perform governmental functions (libraries,fire stations, clinics, etc) should contact the Duty Officer at Vermont Emergency Management directly at 1-800-347-0488 as soon as possible to report damages from a natural disaster. Towns needing state assistance should also request a declaration of emergency from the Governor. A damage "spot report" form as well as the emergency declaration request form can downloaded via the link below.

http://vem.vermont.gov/local_state_plans - Open in New Window

Damage to town roads should be reported to the Vermont Agency of Transportation District #4 at 1-802-295-8888 so that they can work with the town crew to estimate repair costs. Be sure to take pictures of the damage before making any repairs, and document cleanup and repair costs, including staff, materials and equipment costs used at each site. If the disaster becomes a presidentially declared disaster, then at least 75% funding should be available, but it is very difficult to get reimbursed for undocumented costs. Only make emergency repairs as needed, and hold off on large repairs if possible. Think about mitigation opportunities. Contact Kevin Geiger at kgeiger@trorc.org for assistance.

In This Section

 Current Conditions & Warnings

Disaster News

Grants

LEPC #12

Pre-Disaster Mitigation

Preparedness

 Recovering from a Disaster

Reporting Damage

Specific Types of Hazards

Training