Short updates
August 16, 2023 - 50% of Staff Council's Mulligan donations will go to the Vermont Community Foundation flood relief fund
Hello UVM Community,
If you are here, you likely have an interest in helping our friends, family, and neighbors as they continue to respond to and recover from the devastating floods of July 2023. Here you will find a variety of information about the UVM community response and opportunities, some organized in UVM teams and other connections directly to local or statewide efforts. It will be updated as opportunities, needs, and missions evolve. This recovery will take many months with cleanup and more emergent efforts occurring now and rebuilding efforts following that.
We are in close coordination with the State Emergency Operations Center and some municipalities directly. Additionally, we are part of a system of organizations that can adopt projects directly. When we do so, that information will be here.
There are links to important information in mission profiles and other accordion tabs below. Also, some tabs contain information about what to bring on missions. The links to the right enable you to sign up for general email updates and for UVM-specific missions.
This page will be updated on an ongoing basis as information evolves. Please be patient, especially in the early days, as information, needs, and mission change sometime by the minute.
Additionally, email updates are sent periodically to those who have signed up for volunteer opportunties using the top link on the right.
Thank you again for your willingness to help.
August 26, 2023 Statewide Cleanup Day
On August 15 the State announced a statewide initiative for Saturday August 26 using the greenup day organizational capabilities.
A special webpage has been set up on greenupvermont.org to help towns communicate their needs and for volunteers to find various efforts around the state. Green Up Vermont is also encouraging the use of their app so that coordinators can communicate broadly the specific details and needs for each area. The Green Up Vermont app can be downloaded on iPhone and Android platforms.
Overview of Some UVM Efforts to Date
The UVM community has stepped up to help our neighbors in a number of ways. Here are a few brief updates:
A few of the things done so far:
On a mission that started prior to our volunteer effort, our UAV “drone” team has assisted with damage imaging and assessment throughout the state.
UVM staff are part of Task Force 1 - the State Urban/Swift Water Rescue Team that has been active through the early part of the flooding.
Our fire safety and emergency management team has been assisting the State Division of Fire Safety with safety inspections of buildings in hard hit communities.
We have provided assistance and stand ready to provide more to UVM affiliates affected by this disaster.
Our volunteers have assessed damage and need in a large portion of the City of Barre over two days.
Volunteers also rallied to assist residents and businesses in the City of Barre, assigned to tasks by grass roots organizers in the Barre area. Some of that work involved an extensive clean out of inundated basements.
Our donation collection effort continues to support the City of Barre and surrounding area as they remain under boil water notice through at least mid-week.
All of the residents and municipal officials we’ve interacted with are so appreciative of your efforts.
Special thanks to parking and transportation for all the help with vehicles and transport.
TSHIRTs. If you are going out on a volunteer mission you can pick up your shirts after 9 am on Monday 7/17, 24 hours per day at UVM Police - 284 East Avenue. The dispatch team at the window can help you. Please be patient if they are on a call.
General Description of MISSIONS and WHAT TO BRING
There are a variety of possible missions to accomplish and gear to bring. See specific local volunteer guidance in addition to this general guidance. Please be patient as circumstances and assignments change and evolve with disasters and conditions and needs on the ground.
What you should bring:
The Center for Disease Control has General Safety Tips and recommendations for personal protective equipment on their website: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/cleanup/facts.html.
Snacks, food, and drinks for yourself for the day, in the event supplies are limited
5-gallon buckets *
Construction grade garbage bags.
Long pants & good footwear – boots or shoes with solid soles. They WILL get dirty.
Work gloves.
PPE, including gloves, rubber gloves, masks and eye protection if working “muck-and-gut” operations.
Tools (please mark your tools so you can keep track of them)
Shovels (large head shovels for muck and gut operations) *
Sleds (yes - they glide over mud)Wheelbarrows
Pry bars
Hammers and sledgehammers
Cordless cutting tools like reciprocating saws, oscillating saws**, Sawzalls, etc.
Possible missions:
Water and food distribution to residents, responders, and volunteers. This opportunity is to distribute water and grab-and-go food to those working in communities as well as residents affected by this disaster.
Outside cleanup. This work involves shoveling, raking, and lifting debris, mud, trees, branches, etc. and piling them in designated locations or vehicles. You may encounter nails, sharp edges, and other hazards during this work.
“Muck-and-gut.” This work involves assisting homeowners and business owners in clearing debris and water-logged items from their homes and businesses and removing inundated building material such as drywall from the affected areas. You may encounter nails, sharp edges, falling debris, flying shards and debris, water, and other hazards during this work.
“Muck-and-gut” team lead. If you have construction experience and knowledge, teams could use your assistance as a team lead in these operations.
Surveying residents
TSHIRTs. If you are going out on a volunteer mission you can pick up your shirts after 9 am on Monday 7/17, 24 hours per day at UVM Police - 284 East Avenue. The dispatch team at the window can help you. Please be patient if they are on a call.
**UVM Volunteer Missions: Missions with UVM Teams (in Barre as of 7-18-23)
Beginning on Thursday July 19 we will be bringing teams of UVM volunteers on specific cleanup (debris, muck & gut, and similar) missions to residences in need, initially in Barre, possibly expanding to other areas. Details of what to bring and what the mission profiles may look like can be found in the "General Description of Missions and What to Bring" section above.
To see available mission locations and dates and to sign up click on the "UVM Mission Sign Up" link on the right side of this page. Note that the spreadsheet has tabs for various mission profiles. The Barre missions are currently in tab 2.
Generally, carpooling is recommended. We have tried buses but the narrow streets and congested cleanup areas make buses difficult. Once you sign up for a mission you will receive email updates with logistical information.
TSHIRTs. If you are going out on a volunteer mission you can pick up your shirts after 9 am on Monday 7/17, 24 hours per day at UVM Police - 284 East Avenue. The dispatch team at the window can help you. Please be patient if they are on a call.
Volunteer: Statewide Registration and General for Individuals
Community Volunteers are needed. Register at www.vermont.gov/volunteer so the team at SerVermont can match you with missions in communities around the State. Once registered, you may receive notice of volunteer missions in your area, and you can respond with your availability for that mission to aid in coordination of assets. Please be patient. Connecting volunteers to missions can take some time as communities begin the recovery process. This effort is not intended to replace grass roots local volunteer efforts and non-residential efforts.
We continue to encourage Vermonters to join local efforts as they arise. It is often most effective to volunteer with local organizations you are already affiliated with.
Volunteer Mission: Local Barre Cleanup Efforts - Locally Organized and Ongoing
Conditions in Barre are evolving. For details visit: https://www.barrecity.org/flood/
A volunteer link is on the right.
Volunteer Mission: Montpelier Cleanup Efforts - Locally Organized and Ongoing
To volunteer locally in Montpelier visit montpelieralive.com/flood2023 for details.
Donate
At this stage we recommend donations in the form of cash. Visit the Vermont Community Foundation or the Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund to do so. For those interested in donating food or personal eitems we recommend contacting local officials and non-profits and donating only if they express or are publicizing a need. More information and links about donations can be found at the Buildings & General Services flood page or by calling 802-828-1525 or emailing donations@vermont.gov.
ON HOLD - NOT OPEN FOR VOLUNTEERS Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) Greeter & Data Entry Mission (begins Tuesday 7/25)
MARC Mission Details
Thank you for your continued interest in assisting our neighbors as they begin to recovery from devastating floods. This mission is to assist those visiting statewide multi-agency resource centers by collecting a small amount of information to inform center operations and to assist facilitate a vermont211.org damage report for those who has not yet filed one.
Beginning Tuesday July 25, 2023 a team of 3 volunteers will be deployed to each MARC site from 9 am to 5 pm. This time may be divided into shifts. Details about the MARCs can be found at https://vem.vermont.gov/flood/marc
Mission detail can be found here
Full URL is https://uvmoffice-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/mschirli_uvm_edu/EYADpRY2NU1AhrJJ8gfdttMBzTDwZp0QqtltXkPMdWPelA?e=QCbNRl
To sign up for these evolving missions use the MARC tab on the UVM mission tracking spreadsheet. Dates will be updated daily so please check back.
Full URL is here in the event it is needed. https://uvmoffice-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/mschirli_uvm_edu/EYjrTgTgYEJJpq8pmbWt_RgB6ml7OySfFhx6Fzc4U5QcgQ?e=TZIPH6
Additionally, the UVM Extension Teams will be assessing the possibility of staffing southern locations due to distance from main campus. However, if you are able to travel or are located in southern areas, please sign up for those missions.
Stay up-to-date on these missions by checking the spreadsheet for evolving detail. Unless there is a substantive change, once you sign up you MAY NOT receive additional instructions until arrival on site.
Thank you!