Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday formally requested that President Joe Biden issue a Major Disaster Declaration to help 10 Maine counties recover from the severe December storm that brought flooding, power outages and damages to central and western parts of the state.
In a letter sent to Biden, Mills said the storm caused an estimated $20 million in public infrastructure damage, which is beyond the state's ability to address. If Biden approves the request, it would give the state access to federal funds to help repair damaged roads, bridges, public buildings, utilities and other public infrastructure in the areas that were affected.
She also asked the president to authorize individual assistance to eligible families impacted by property damage in Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's assessment identified 13 destroyed, 106 major, 65 minor and 31 affected properties across those five counties.
“With the hardest hit areas residing in low-income communities, and limitations associated with the lack of skilled contractors, available housing and readily available major household items, the ability for these individuals to recover is well beyond the physical or fiscal capacity of the community or the state at large to support,” Mill said in her letter. “The State of Maine is therefore requesting every available area within the Individual Assistance program to support the impacted individuals and families across Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset counties."
The governor's request does not cover any damage from last week's storms, which brought historic flooding to the Maine coast. The Maine Emergency Management Agency is still working to estimate the cost of the damage caused by the storms.
Last week, Mills declared a State of Civil Emergency for Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington, and York counties to mobilize all available state resources for response and recovery and to position Maine to seek federal disaster support in the near future.
Those impacted by last week’s flooding are being asked to report it to the state by dialing 211 or by visiting the state's Flood Resources and Assistance Hub at https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/flood.
