BERLIN, Vermont (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened disaster relief centers in Vermont communities hit hard by severe flooding in mid-July. Governor Phil Scott said Wednesday he had declared another federal disaster for the second wave of flooding late last month.

Last week, President Joe Biden approved the state’s request to declare a disaster due to flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl on July 9-11, making federal funds available to help residents and communities recover. The storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain on parts of Vermont in just a few hours, traumatizing a state where some people are still waiting for help from catastrophic flooding that occurred on the same day last year.

The state is also providing $7 million in grants to businesses damaged by this year’s floods, in addition to $5 million approved in the last legislative session to help those affected by the 2023 storms who did not receive grants from the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program last year, officials said.

“It’s important to remember that while these federal and state funds are important and will help, we know they are not enough. They will not compensate people and they will not cover all of the costs,” Scott said. “I know these repeated floods have put a lot of strain on community and family budgets, especially those who have been impacted multiple times in the last year alone.”

Scott said he hears and sees those impacts when he visits communities like Lyndon, Plainfield and Hardwick and hears stories from even smaller and more rural towns that were hit by both storms in July.

FEMA representatives are currently traveling to all seven counties to assist flood victims, and the agency has opened disaster relief centers in Barre, Plainfield and Waterbury, said FEMA coordinator William Roy. FEMA will open one in Lyndon and is coordinating the opening of centers in Addison and Orleans counties, said Roy, who urged flood victims to register with FEMA online, by phone or by visiting one of the centers.

The state grants for businesses and nonprofits will cover 30 percent of net unfunded losses, Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein said. The application portal opens Thursday morning. Properties that received grants last year but are still in need could be eligible for the new funds and can submit a letter of inquiry about their situation, she added.

FEMA is currently operating with funds for immediate needs until Congress passes a budget, Roy said. That limits FEMA’s ability to support public assistance projects, but it can support life-saving and life-sustaining efforts as well as the individual assistance program, he said.

Roy added that housing or rental assistance and funds for repairs are available for eligible individuals or families in Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans and Washington counties whose homes were affected by the storms in mid-July. FEMA may also provide funds for underinsured or uninsured residents who have disaster-related expenses, he said.

FEMA’s disaster relief team has visited over 2,400 homes and 375 Vermonters have requested home inspections, 235 of which have been completed so far, he said. In addition, over 500 residents have applied for individual assistance and the Small Business Administration has already approved over $78,000 in disaster loans as of Tuesday, he added.