State asks for continued damage reports from Dec. 18 storm

A roofing crew rebuilds a roof Tuesday on Birch Street in Lewiston. In the aftermath of last week’s historic rainstorm, roofing crews have been out in force as homeowners address water damage and leaks. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Multiple government agencies are asking the public to continue reporting damage from the Dec. 18 rainstorm beyond the Maine Emergency Management Agency’s deadline Wednesday.

Individual reports will help county, state and federal emergency agencies assess how weather events affect specific areas and the resources likely needed for infrastructure repairs and aid, Angela Molino, county emergency management director, said.

Individual reporting is not an application for assistance, but an assessment that provides information for agencies, including the National Weather Service, to understand how a storm is expected to affect certain areas.

It also helps mitigation efforts before, during and after weather events such as those of Dec. 18 and earlier this year, especially for NWS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which can more accurately assess what certain areas should expect.

“We use this information throughout the event to pivot response and resources based on how we know an area will be affected,” Molino said. “These are not 100-year storms if they’re happening, say, every 15 years or so …. Your report paints a picture of the full impact of the effects from this storm. It may help neighbors or your town or the county in the future with mitigation efforts like new culverts, raising a road, replacing a bridge. It helps FEMA see what’s really happening in the impact of these storms.”

The MEMA Individual Assistance Program, individual damage assessment form and business and agriculture initial damage assessment form can be found on the MEMA website under the “Grants” tab.

Molino said she is confident the county will reach its $511,239 threshold for a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration, but continued reporting is still essential to how disaster response will be employed in the future. She reiterated individual reporting may not lead to individual FEMA assistance, but it does open the door for possible assistance, including low-interest small business loans for businesses and agricultural entities.

Major damage, as defined by FEMA, may include loss of a roof, several days of persistent flooding, floodwaters reaching 18 inches on a first floor level.

Gov. Janet Mills also announced the Maine Flood Resources and Assistance Hub in a news release Tuesday. The new hub will aggregate information, resources and assistance, including insurance claims, how to report damage, updated road closures and how to manage tree debris safely.

Water cascades Dec. 20 over Great Falls on the Androscoggin River between Auburn and Lewiston as floodwaters begin to recede. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Mills declared a state of civil emergency Dec. 19 to open all state resources for assistance and response and recovery efforts. The declaration also served as a first step toward seeking a Major Disaster Declaration from President Joe Biden. The request is now in the works, Mills said, and if granted the declaration would unlock funds to help communities recover from the storm.

The state’s threshold is about $2.5 million for a declaration, Molino said.

Some of those civil emergency efforts were seen immediately in Androscoggin County, Molino added.

“During the storm, we had all levels of government coordinating to set up the Ramada (hotel in Lewiston) as a disaster shelter. Androscoggin County Emergency Agency coordination with CMP trying to restore power, with the state and American Red Cross for additional resources and with the city of Lewiston, which worked buses, printed fliers,” Molino said. “For example, the cities of Auburn and Lewiston and the town of Lisbon were doing great work through administration getting emergency alerts out and public works, fire and police who were out on the streets keeping people safe. It’s all something we should be very proud of.”

Most directly for Androscoggin County residents, reports from the Dec. 18 storm will impact the county’s hazard mitigation plan, which is currently under review before it expires in 2024. Molino said towns invested a lot of time and effort with the county over the past two years in developing the mitigation plan that, once approved and adopted, will allow them access to mitigation funding.

The Androscoggin County Emergency Management Agency is also surveying the public and local stakeholders for the plan’s update.