Vermont to use COVID money to move vulnerable mobile homes

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - The state of Vermont is hoping to use $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds to help buy out and move mobile homes in areas at risk of flooding.

The plan builds on lessons learned during flooding from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. It aims to assist mobile home residents with finding a new place to live if they accept the buyout.

Vermont Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Officer Stephanie Smith said the program is voluntary and made more complicated because many mobile home residents own their homes, but rent the land where they are located.

Many older homes can’t be moved, and the federal buyout program often doesn’t completely cover the cost of moving.

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