Biden declares Cumberland and York counties a disaster storm in April and allocates $3.5 million for repairs

A section of Route 9 between Falmouth and Cumberland was closed April 4 while emergency crews worked to remove a fallen tree that spanned the snow-covered roadway. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

President Biden has granted Maine’s request to declare a major disaster to help Cumberland and York counties recover from the severe winter storm in April that caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage.

The declaration, announced Friday by Governor Janet Mills, provides assistance to cover the costs of removing debris and repairing roads, bridges and other public structures.

Mills thanked Biden for the “quick approval” of the state’s request to declare a disaster. Mills had submitted the request on May 2, citing the increasing frequency and intensity of storms over the past two years. In her opinion, the capacity of emergency management agencies to respond to and recover from disasters is overwhelmed.

With the federal aid, the two districts will award additional grants to state, local and tribal governments for reconstruction efforts. The president’s action also releases federal funds through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which allows state, local and tribal governments to develop hazard mitigation and reconstruction plans to reduce future storm-related losses.

Mills signed an executive order earlier this week to establish a commission to develop the state’s first long-term infrastructure resilience plan. Her action follows the northeast storm of April 4 and 5 and several other destructive storms, such as those in December and January, that caused an estimated $90 million in damage to public infrastructure across Maine.

In addition, $60 million is available to help communities recover from recent severe storms and increase their resilience. Funding applications and information are available at maine.gov/flood.

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