Rain begins to fall across Vermont. Governor Phil Scott declares a state of emergency in Vermont.

Rain continued to fall as river levels continued to rise.
2:00pm = Governor Scott releases all non-emergency personnel
3:00pm = Barre Auditorium opens at 3pm to shelter those displaced by the flood.
3:28pm = Water rises over lower State Street by Green Mount Cemetery
4:00pm = Montpelier Police and Barre City relocate police and dispatch to the Emergency Operation Center at the Water Treatment Facility in Berlin
6:55pm = 2-3 feet of water outside the Montpelier Fire Department
8:40pm = 22.7 feet of water predicted - Flood Stage- National Weather Service Guage at the North Branch
11:55pm = Internet goes down in Montpelier

8:30am = The Winooski River crests at 21.11 ft.

The Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience

**Overview and Commission Charge **

In the wake of the July 2023 flood, Montpelier Alive, the Montpelier Foundation, and the City of Montpelier established a public/private partnership to coordinate and drive forward flood recovery and resilience work. The Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience serves as a convening and resource partner for the city and all working groups advancing flood recovery and resilience projects in the city.

Visit the Montpelier Recovery and Resilience webpage here: https://www.montpelieralive.com/blog/montpeliercommissionr-r
More information on the Commission is also available at the Montpelier Strong website here: https://www.montpelierstrong.org/

Principles and Values
The Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience will be guided by a common set of principles and values. The Commission is founded in a commitment to:
• A conviction that a sustainable, equitable, and thriving Montpelier is both achievable and worth working for
• Action, and shepherding tangible resilience projects to completion
• Openness, intellectual curiosity, and non-partisanship
• Deep listening, empathy, and respect for all voices
• Inclusion that engages the full diversity of Montpelier.

Role of the Commission
Chaired by a private sector member, the Commission provides leadership to coordinate recovery and resilience strategies, advocate for the community, oversee future staff, and support the progress of initiatives throughout the community.
The Commission is not a formal political or governing body. It derives its authority from the partnership established by the Montpelier Foundation, Montpelier Alive, and the City. It is accountable to the entire community of Montpelier. It has been tasked by the community with moving forward the priorities identified and prioritized through a series of recovery forums. As such, it engages and empowers forum participants (and all members of the wider community) to galvanize action for flood recovery and resilience.
Using its members’ knowledge, connections, and leadership, the Commission works to surface opportunities for public and private investment, policy initiatives, and action-oriented partnerships that will increase Montpelier’s resiliency. The Commission doesn’t create “to-do lists” for City staff or for others to accomplish.

Role of Commission Director
The Commission will be staffed by a Montpelier Recovery and Resilience Director, answerable to its members. Under the oversight of the Commission and with support of staff of the City of Montpelier, the Director will:
• provide support and coordination to recovery and resilience working groups in the city and region given that flood resiliency depends on a watershed-wide approach
• Convene leadership around key aspect of flood recovery, from best practices for hardening buildings, to developing collective inventory space and other practical recovery projects
• Convene public dialogues as needed
• Bring together engineers and architects to envision and realize projects that advance the downtown’s flood resilience
• Convene regional governments, planners, business leaders, engineers, architects, hydrologists and environmental scientists to evaluate opportunities, then plan and implement mitigation strategies to slow and hold water to minimize the impact of future flooding events.
The Commission Director will be supervised by the Commission and housed in a partner non-profit organization. The Commission Director’s salary (for two-years) will be raised by the founding partners (Montpelier Foundation, Montpelier Alive, City of Montpelier).

**Commission Members **

1. Paul Carnahan, Historian
2. Ben Doyle, President, Preservation Trust of Vermont (Montpelier Foundation)
3. Richarda Ericson, Riverine and Conservation Expert
4. Gregg Gossens, Partner, Gossens Bachman Architects
5. Marc Gwinn, Certified Financial Planner, Edward Jones
6. Lauren Hierl, Executive Director,Vermont Conservation Voters (Montpelier City Council)
7. Jennifer Hollar, (recently retired) VT Housing and Conservation Board
8. Aly Richards, Executive Director, Let’s Grow Kids
9. James Rea, Environment and Resilience Consultant
10. Nathan Suter, Consultant and Partner, BUILD
11. Ned Swanberg, Floodplain Manager, VT Department of Environmental Conservation
12. Stephanie Smith, Hazard Mitigation Officer, State of Vermont
13. Katie Trautz, Executive Director, Montpelier Alive
14. Peter Walke, Executive Director, Efficiency Vermont
15. Ben Wetherell, Montpelier High School