"We are grateful that we are where we are without more significant damage," said Gov. Shumlin Tuesday.
A day after Sandy -- relief. No massive damage, no major flooding. "We didn't get the high winds we expected in some parts of Vermont," Shumlin said.
The state put almost 900 employees on standby for the superstorm. But transportation crews ended up only responding to 16 road closures because of trees and power lines -- all were quickly cleaned up.
In the wake of Irene, the Governor said the state did not want to take any chances. He said all indications from forecasts were that Sandy could be devastating, wreaking havoc. Even though the storm here did not live up to warnings, Shumlin said he is not afraid people will disregard future storm warnings. "If we learned a lesson from Irene it's this -- be prepared," he said. "And I have no doubt Vermonters will join us in being smart prudent and careful when the next time we face a critical storm like this."
Along the coast many states are struggling. President Obama held a conference call Tuesday with the 20 governors and mayors in the Northeast to check on damage. "Hey Mr. President -- thanks for your leadership. We pretty much escaped a bullet here in Vermont," Shumlin told President Obama.
Shumlin said Vermont can now do what it couldn't do during Irene -- help other states. From offering aid to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, to sending two Guard helicopters to New Jersey and Governor Chris Christie.
Shumlin said line crews will also be deployed as soon as Vermonters get their power back on.
"We will continue to cooperate in any way we can with our neighbors to help them get back on their feet as they did when we got walloped so hard.
With the emergency over, the state command center that tracked Sandy 24/7 in Waterbury will now close.
