Requests for emergency aid usually follow natural disasters like floods or prolonged drought. But this winter’s unusually mild weather is prompting a northern Maine county to ask for state and federal assistance.
Piscataquis County relies on tourism for its economy, but the mild weather has taken a bite out of its usual winter snowmobiling business and the income that it brings.
Bill Lett of Victory Motorsports in Abbot said snowmobile sales are down 50 percent.
At the Indian Hill Trading Post in Greenville, which sells boots, jackets and hats to keep snowmobilers warm on the trails, owner Craig Watt said the store has lost 9,000 customers since last year.
County and town officials are asking for state and federal aid in the form low-interest loans and business counseling to prevent business owners from going into debt.
They plan to meet with Gov. John Baldacci sometime during the next few weeks to make their case for aid for the region.
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