WELLS, Maine — Monday is the last day for Mainers living in the state's eight coastal counties to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. The back-to-back storms in January caused $70 million in damage.
More than 2,300 Mainers have already applied for disaster assistance, according to Jann Tracey, a FEMA spokesperson. The agency has already dispersed more than $3.2 million worth of grants to homeowners and renters, and that total will only increase as FEMA processes final applications.
"Some states they see us all the time, but this is very unusual for Maine. And it’s something that Mainers need to think about what the future holds with regards to potential flooding," Tracey said.
Homeowners in Wells are still recovering as 13 homes have been marked unsafe structures, unfit for residency. One homeowner on Webhannet Drive said she has to pay $25,000 out of pocket to fix her driveway and retaining wall. FEMA cannot cover her damage, the owner said, because it was not an "essential" item.
"Mainers take care of themselves and help their neighbor, that’s what they do, and when we would say 'Well there might be assistance to reimbursed you for your expenses,' and they go 'Oh, no. I don’t need it. My neighbor needs it more than I do,' but we didn’t want people to have that attitude. We wanted people to know that assistance is available and we can reimburse for those expenses," Tracey said.
She said assistance is available and she wants Mainers to take advantage of it. Once you apply, it'll take a week or so for an inspector to make an appointment and visit your home. The inspector will document any damage and collect any receipts you've kept while you began replacing items that were destroyed. Then, it'll take another week to 10 days for assistance to actually be dispersed.
If you don't agree with the amount of money FEMA grants you, Tracey said you have 60 days to file an appeal.