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More than half of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail is back open following Julys historic flooding, Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn announced during a press conference on Tuesday.An on-demand version of the press conference will be available this afternoon.Flynn, along with Gov. Phil Scott and other state and federal leaders, held their weekly update on flood recovery efforts from Berlin as Vermont nears the one-month anniversary of Julys catastrophic flooding.Beginning today, 49.8 miles of the 93-mile LVRT are back open, including the 30.3-mile section from Swanson to Cambridge junction as well as the The 19.5 mile section from St. Johnsbury to Walden is now fully open to public use.Flynn said AOT plans to reopen additional sections of the rail trail over the next few weeks and months but cautioned that some sections will not be reopened until early 2024 due to extensive amounts of damage. That includes complete bridge and culvert washouts and slope failures that will require contractor and civil engineering help to repair.Flynn said that contractors have already been hired for 57 of the remaining 103 sites that remain closed along the rail trail. More updates on the rail trail progress can be found on the official LVRT trail updates website.Gov. Phil Scott also discussed the ongoing recovery efforts in other parts of the state, including debris removal and the reopening of local roads once municipal roadwork has been completed. Scott said heading into the fall, the conversation needs to pivot toward recovery and community revitalization using ARPA funds.Meanwhile, Vermont Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said last week’s downpours in Addison County lead to 35 individuals being rescued by the state’s swift water rescue teams. One person was injured, and one boat was severely damaged during rescue efforts.In just the past month, there have been a total of 162 evacuations. Morrison said that during a normal year there are only six rescues and about 30 evacuations. FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer William Roy announced that $11.2 million in federal funding has been disbursed to individuals who have reported flood damage. FEMA will also open new recovery centers this week in the following locations:Jamaica – The Jamaica Fire Department – WednesdayDanville – K-12 school building – WednesdayNorthern Vermont University – ThursdayVermont College of Fine Arts – FridayNBC5’s Stephen Biddix will have additional takeaways and analysis on the press conference tonight during the evening news.