The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced on March 13 that three counties in Maine have been declared federal disaster areas. The areas were affected by a severe winter storm, snowstorm, and flooding during the period of January 26–28, 2015.
By issuing the declaration, federal funding becomes available to state, eligible tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the storms and flooding in Androscoggin, Cumberland, and York counties. Federal funding also is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
For more information on what help is available to the state of Maine, check out the announcement on FEMA’s website.
The state of Massachusetts is still waiting for its official disaster declaration, even though Gov. Charlie Baker held several conversations with FEMA officials while he was in Washington, D.C., late last month attending a National Governors Association meeting. A complicating factor for Baker is that federal disaster declarations generally are issued for an individual storm, not the significant snow accumulations over several storms that parts of the state, including Boston, faced in February.
FEMA lists all disaster declarations on its website. You can search by state, type of disaster and type of declaration to find out the latest on disaster declarations for your area.
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