Community Resources

Flooding Resources

• View flood recovery resources from the state.

• Apply for federal disaster assistance.

• For specific questions and up-to-date information about closures, shelters, food assistance, and more, call 211.

• View the 511 road closure map to see where you can travel safely.

• Sign up to volunteer once conditions are safe.

• Boil Water and Do Not Drink List.

• Submit information about damage to your home or business to Vermont can get the maximum amount of assistance. Make sure to take pictures and record your damage for potential future use.

Be Aware of Scams

Following natural disasters, it’s common for an increase in scams to occur. Typical scams include:

• Fraudulent contractors offering to assess damage.

• Fake “officials” entering businesses and asking for payment.

• Email, phone, and social media scams asking for personal information.

• Fake charities soliciting donations.

• Avoid being impacted by verifying and services or donating to organizations. FEMA officials will carry and ID badge.

• Report scams and price gouging by calling 800-649-2424 or visiting http://ago.vermont.gov/cap.

Local Links

Chester Telegraph: https://www.chestertelegraph.org/
Vermont Journal: https://vermontjournal.com/
Our Chester: http://www.ourchester.org/
Chester Andover Family Center: http://chester-andoverfamilycenter.org/
Senior Solutions: https://www.seniorsolutionsvt.org/
SoVerA Southern Vermont Astronomy Group: http://sovera.org
Rotary of Chester, VT: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2919/
Chester Historical Society https://chesterhistory.org/
Chester Fall Foliage Festival: http://www.chesterfallfestival.org/

Vermont Links

• Services for Special-needs readers from Vermont State Library (ABLE Division): http://webopac.klas.com/vtssu
• Vermont 211: https://www.navigateresources.net/211vermont/
  An online directory of social services, including consumer resources.
• Vermont Emergency Management: https://vem.vermont.gov/vtalert
  An online VT-ALERT is used by the state and local responders to notify the public of emergency situations.  Those include, but are not limited to, evacuation information; chemical spills; shelter-in-place alerts; severe weather advisories; boil water advisories, and roadway interruptions.  Residents can tailor the alerts to specific locations, types of alerts and on which devices they will be notified of social services, including consumer resources.
• Vermont Foodbank: https://www.vtfoodbank.org/
• Vermont Department of Health: http://www.healthvermont.gov/alcohol-drugs/services/prescription-drug-disposal   
  Free Medication Mail-back envelopes available at Whiting Library.
  http://www.healthvermont.gov/tracking
• Vermont Secretary of State Corporations Division: https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/
  Check the registration, ownership, and required paperwork for businesses registered in Vermont. Also has Vermont-specific business statistics and information on business laws.
• Vermont Secretary of State Office of Professional Regulation: https://sos.vermont.gov/opr/
  Verify, apply, or renew licenses for all professionally regulated careers in Vermont.
• Consumer Assistance Program at the University of Vermont: https://ago.vermont.gov/cap/
  A partnership between the Attorney General and the University of Vermont. File and find assistance with issues with a business, or locate additional resources from state government and beyond.
• VT Department of Labor, Workforce Development: https://labor.vermont.gov/workforce-development
  This branch of the VT Dept of Labor provides resources for job seekers (including specific links to youth employment, veteren services, and job training, education and apprenticeship programs), and employers. Includes access to VTJoblink, info about upcoming career development events, and connection to local career resource centers. (MC)
• VT Department of Taxes: https://tax.vermont.gov/
  VT government site that provides information about VT taxes including business, property, and personal taxes. Obtain tax id numbers and find information about economy recovery programs. (AA)
• VSAC Vermont Student Assistance Corporation: https://www.vsac.org/
  VT nonprofit corporation. Assistance with career options, planning and paying for college or career training. (LM)
• VT Department of Financial Regulation: https://dfr.vermont.gov/
  Information for consumers and anyone interested in insurance, banking, securities, and captive insurances for doing business in Vermont. This includes licensing information and information for consumers financial well being. (HP)
• Vermont Works For Women: https://www.vtworksforwomen.org
  VT nonprofit organization focusing on women of all ages inspired to work in Tech and Trade fields. ( LS)
• Vermont Invasives: https://vtinvasives.org/

National Resources

• Fuel Economy Guide 2022: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/pdfs/guides/FEG2022.pdf
  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have just released the 2022 Fuel Economy Guide. The Guide provides detailed fuel economy estimates for model year 2022 light-duty vehicles, along with estimated annual fuel costs and other information for prospective car buyers.
• EDGAR database of corporate information: http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
  An electronic archive of reports that large, publicly traded companies file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Includes reports for domestic companies from May 1996 forward and from foreign companies from November 2002 forward, with earlier reports for some companies.
• Nonprofit explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/advanced_search Provides summary data for recent tax returns of non-profit organizations and PDFs of tax form 990 for organizations recognized as tax exempt by the IRS.
• Data USA: https://datausa.io/
• Bloomberg Businessweek: https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/
• Occupational Outlook Handbook: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
• Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/ 
• Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftc.gov/  Links to multiple federal offices and resources that will assist with: consumer protection from unfair or deceptive business practices as well as  unfair marketplace competition and more. (KM)
• Harvard School of Health https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/career-services/self-assessment/  links to self-assessment tools for career planning, job seekers and career change.(LSP)
• EdX Business Courses https://www.edx.org/course/subject/business-management free (with optional paid verification) courses on a variety of topics including marketing, leadership, and finance from top universities. (AB)
• Consumer Affairs and Public Information https://publicservice.vermont.gov/publications-resources/consumers A Vermont.gov page to get information, file complaints, and find assistance with utilities. (SN)
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/audience/jobseekers.htm For job seekers and workers looking for a variety of info and resources on careers. For example, patrons may link to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/) to browse occupations and resources for “highest paying”, “fastest growing (projected)” and “most new jobs (projected)”. (CK)
• https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/blog/2017/09/worlds-best-fiesta-xr2.html a good way to look up about a car and learn a lot with all the details and more. (AS)
• Indeed.com: https://www.indeed.com/ This website is to help people that are looking for a job or a better job. They can make an account and post all of their information and their resume for employers to see. They can also look and see what jobs are out there. (AS)
• The Consumer Financial Protection Services – especially their consumer tools page. These pages provide patron answers and tools for everything for financial literacy. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools and https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/ (LSP)
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants: http://refugees.org/field-office/vermont/