Hundreds of Vermonters are still without a permanent place to live after their homes were destroyed by flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene at the end of August.  Many of these individuals are currently in temporary housing – staying with friends and family, or in hotels with help from FEMA or the Red Cross.  These are only short term solutions and each of these Vermonters need a more permanent place to live. 

The recession's longstanding toll on the incomes of Vermont households is shown clearly in estimates released by the Census Bureau yesterday.   The median income of a household in the state dropped to $49,406 in 2010 from $51,618 in 2009.   The poverty rate among Vermont households rose to 12.7% up from 11.4% in 2009.    Poverty among the state's children rose particularly high--to an alarming 16.7% in 2010 up from 13.3% in 2009. 

The Census Bureau released new estimates today that provide information about the characteristics of residents and homes in Vermont and  its counties in 2010.    These estimates are based on the annual American Community Survey (ACS), which asks a sample of Vermonters questions about their home and the household members living there.

While the decenniel Census provided counts of people and households, ACS estimates provide valuable information about the characteristics of Vermont residents. 

Here’s a sample of the types of information collected through the ACS:

FEMA has approved a Public Assistance Declaration for Grand Isle County, ensuring that federal assistance for road, bridge and other public infrastructure repairs will be available for every county in the state.   “This is great news,” Gov. Shumlin said. “There has been extensive damage to roads, public buildings, bridges and other infrastructure all over the state, and Grand Isle County had high power restoration costs.

Several days earlier, FEMA approved an Individual Assistance Declaration for Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans Counties, enabling homeowners and business owners to apply for federal financial assistance for everything from rebuilding costs to temporary housing expenses.