BUSINESS EMERGENCY PLANNING WORKSHOP
A video of this workshop is available at https://youtu.be/s9DchawplzM
The unprecedented drought this year has not wiped memories of the devastating flooding that hit northern Vermont in 2023 and 2024. We all know that it will be a matter of time when the region faces the potential of high flood waters, especially as climate change intensifies weather patterns in the Green Mountains.
As part of a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Northern Vermont Economic Development District, which includes the Northeast Kingdom, Lamoille County, Franklin County and the Champlain Islands, hosted a Business Emergency Planning Workshop on September 18, geared toward getting businesses and organizations in the area to put a flood plan in motion.
Just like a “go list” a household might prepare in case of emergency, the goal of the workshop was to get business and nonprofit leaders to begin the process of preparing an emergency plan for flood emergencies before the weather inevitably changes from the drought conditions we are currently facing.
The theme of the workshop was Be Prepared – Not Scared. The idea is to have the plan in place to avoid making important decisions in the high stress situation potential flooding brings. Hosted at the Green Mountain Technical & Career Center in Hyde Park, as well as on Zoom, Michaela Foody, the Vermont Emergency Management Regional Coordinator for Grand Isle, Franklin, and Lamoille Counties lead the group in reviewing and filling out a Business Emergency Planning Workbook, originally developed by the Montpelier Commission for Recovery & Resilience and adapted for the Lamoille River watershed area, that allowed the attendees to:
- Avoid making decisions during high stress situations
- Protect and preserve their assets more quickly
- Delegate their plan to someone else in their absence
- Reduce damage and losses
- Shorten the time it takes to recover after a disaster, and
- Feel more confident about their long-term plans
Also joining the workshop on the more technical aspects of hydrology and hydraulics in the region was Jessica Louisos, PE, of SLR Consulting. Jessica provided an overview of the work they are doing as a part of the grant, and how SLR has been expanding the hydraulic model of the Lamoille River to cover the mainstem including all communities from Hardwick to Georgia along with some tributaries. The model is being used to better understand flood patterns, identify and test opportunities to reduce flooding, and support flood mitigation designs. Information from the model can be used by businesses to better understand flooding in their area and inform an emergency preparedness plan.
A download of the Business Emergency Planning Workbook can be found below. For more information, please contact Seth Jensen at the Lamoille County Planning Commission: seth@lcpcvt.org.