Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Northeast Kingdom organizers tell lawmakers mutual-aid groups saved hundreds of homes and ask for state investment
Summary
Megan Whalen of Northeast Kingdom Organizing told the House committee her group's volunteer-led response 'mucked and gutted' 430 homes and helped save roughly 500 homes at an estimated group cost of $600,000; she urged the legislature to fund resilience hubs, Crisis Cleanup integration, and a standing buyout program.
Megan Whalen, former lead organizer and co-director of Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NICO), told the House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs on Jan. 29 that grassroots and mutual-aid organizations have been the backbone of flood response in the Kingdom and that modest state investment could multiply local capacity.
Whalen said NICO and allied groups "mucked and gutted" 430 homes across 31 towns with the help of about 450 volunteers, that CURVE (the Kingdom's long-term recovery group) has rebuilt 60 homes and that, across three years, the organizations…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
