The three officials; Deputy Transportation Secretary Sue Minter, Chief Engineer Richard Tetrault , and Operations Director Scott Rodgers all had extensive experience guiding Vermont through the aftermath s of Tropical Storm Irene two years ago.
Vermont Transportation Secretary Brian Searles says Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper asked for assistance from Vermont because the circumstances of the flooding in Colorado are similar to the conditions in Vermont in 2011.
“This is the kind of flooding where an awful lot of rain fell in a short period of time, coming down from higher elevations,” said Searles. “And the torrent of water is taking out infrastructure along with many other issues so it appeared to be very similar to Irene.”
The torrent of water is taking out infrastructure along with many other issues so it appeared to be very similar to Irene - Vt Transportation Secretary Brian Searles
Searles says the Vermonters will help their counterparts in Colorado implement new organizational structures and draft a road priority list as the operations shift from rescue to recovery.
“And to respond to some questions that certainly came up for us,” said Searles. “And help them to do it more efficiently and effectively based on our experience.”
Searles says the Vermont officials will also be discussing ways for Colorado to streamline its permit review process to quickly rebuild new roads that can resist future flooding.
The group will return to Vermont at the end of the week.
