Mills seeks federal disaster declaration for spring storm
In a bid to secure federal relief for nearly $3 million worth of infrastructure damage from a severe spring storm in Maine, Gov. Janet Mills is seeking a federal disaster declaration for eight counties.
The damage occurred in Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc, Somerset and Waldo counties from a storm on April 30 and May 1. The storm unleashed heavy rain and wind that created flooding, swelling rivers, power outages and tree damage.
In an eight-page letter to U.S. President Joe Biden dated June 23, Maine’s Democratic governor urges the president to declare a Major Disaster for the eight counties concerned. The request was relayed through Lori Ehrlich, a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Boston.
“It has been verified that all of the damaged infrastructure included in the validation process is not eligible for commercially available insurance coverage, and, therefore, all repair costs must be covered by local government taxpayers if Federal assistance is not obtained,” she writes. “Due to the widespread nature and extent of infrastructure damages, state resources are not adequate to meet local recovery needs.”
On May 12, Maine formally requested a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment for Public Assistance. On-site assessments were conducted across nine counties between May 29 and June 2, and three virtual assessments occurred between May 26 and June 9. The assessment validated $2,978,440 in infrastructure damage.
Maine is seeking to cover the costs of that damage through two FEMA programs.
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants to state, local and tribal governments so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to State, local, and Tribal and governments so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster losses in their communities
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