Grateful For Help After Irene, Vermonters Respond To Sandy

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In superstorm Sandy’s wake, the images and stories coming out of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey are striking. Fourteen months after Tropical Storm Irene hit their state Vermonters are paying it forward.

The most densely populated area in the country, which is surrounded by water, is now under water. On city streets and bridges, hundreds of cars sit idle – people are on the hunt for gas and emergency fuel.

In town after storm-battered town, there are calls for help. And Vermonters are responding.

Christopher Kaufman-Ilstrup is with the Vermont Community Foundation, which helped to funnel more than $4.4 million for Irene relief last summer.

He says once it was clear that Vermont survived Sandy relatively unscathed, the organization began encouraging people to give to the American Red Cross.

"So many New Yorkers stepped up to help Vermont in the aftermath of Irene, it’s really time for us to repay the favor. We just hear that message over and over from donors and we want to support them in being as generous as they can with their time and their resources," says Kaufman-Ilstrup.

The Community Foundation wants people to consider sending cash donations rather than trying to deliver cans of food because the logistics of getting supplies in are best left to the experts.

Meanwhile, utility crews from Vermont are at work in the tri-state area. After restoring power to tens of thousands of Green Mountain Power customers, the state’s largest utility sent more than 30 trucks and 70 line-workers south to repair power lines.

The Vermont Community Foundation: How Vermont Can Help

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