Over the past few years, Vermonters have upped their flood resilience efforts. As we enter another flood season, this work becomes even more urgent.

Douglas Farnham, the state’s Chief Recovery Officer, joins to tell us about how changes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are impacting Vermont flood recovery efforts. And he gives us an update on the FEMA buyout program.

Also, we talk with Arion Thiboumery from the Plainfield Community Development Corp, an organization dedicated to creating new affordable housing in the town of Plainfield. Their current effort called the East Plainfield Expansion Project aims to build 20 new units of housing near the village on higher ground. They just received a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Vermont Edition intern Maeve Fairfax went to Hardwick to investigate the challenges that Vermonters face trying to find new housing after being displaced by a flood. She talked with taqueria owner and buyout recipient Bryan Palinonis.

Then, Audrey Grant of Northeast Kingdom Organizing joins us to talk about Resilience Hubs. These are community spaces that are stocked with supplies needed for emergency disaster response — muck and gut kits, dehumidifiers, generators, and more. They are also used in quieter times as a space where communities can gather, organize, and access services they might need. These are operated by the organization Northeast Kingdom Organizing.

Broadcast live on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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