SKOWHEGAN, Maine — Mainers who were affected by the December storm can now apply for federal emergency relief.
Gov. Mills and several representatives from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) were present at the opening of the first disaster recovery center located in Skowhegan at 4 County Dr. on Tuesday.
Anyone who was impacted by the December storm can visit the assistance center to apply for disaster relief in person. Another recovery center is also available in Rumford at 145 Congress St. The assistance centers are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to FEMA, three more locations will soon be available in Lewiston. Mainers can also apply for assistance over the phone by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or online. To submit an online application, click here.
"We want to see everybody get back on their feet," Mills said.
Gov. Mills and Will Roy, FEMA's federal coordinating officer, said they are encouraging Mainers to hurry and get the ball rolling.
"Don't hesitate. Apply," Roy said. "Hearty New Englanders tend to want to help other people first before themselves. We tell people—you know—there's funds available. And this is why it's designed to help you kick-start your recovery. So, by coming to see us—you're not taking money from anyone else."
Some people may wonder if they are eligible to receive financial assistance.
"If you had damage to your home, your personal property, your vehicle, if you had expenses as a result of the disaster—the first step is for everybody to get registered," Sam Harvey, FEMA's individual assistance branch deputy, said.
Harvey said storm victims can also receive rental assistance through FEMA if they were displaced due to damages caused by the December storm or if they need help covering their monthly rent expenses due to their finances being negatively impacted by the storm.
FEMA does not reimburse storm victims for lost food, Harvey said.
Some victims may even be eligible to receive low-interest, subsidized loans from U.S. Small Business Association (SBA). Karen Knapik, public affairs specialist for the SBA Office of Disaster, Recovery and Resilience, said interest rates can be as low as 3.66 percent with no interest or payments required during the first year.
Knapik explained that storm victims don't have to have a business to receive a loan from SBA.
"Yes, we help businesses and nonprofits, but there are more homeowners usually that are affected in areas after disasters," Knapik said. "So, just in volume alone, we help them with the loans that are built to bridge the gap between what insurance provides and what they get from FEMA."
Although it is not a requirement for people who apply for financial assistance to have a pre-existing renter's or flood insurance policy to be eligible to receive assistance, FEMA representatives said having insurance in place always helps.
Knapik said financial assistance from FEMA and SBA is not meant to cover a storm victim's storm-related financial burdens entirely, but instead, financial assistance is offered to help get people over the hump.
Skowhegan resident Sharron Hawkins rents an apartment in the building right next to the Skowhegan Spinning Mill, which was hit with extreme flood damage during the December storm.
Hawkins said there was some flood damage in the building's basement, but she doesn't keep any of her belongings in the basement. Hawkins said although she lost a substantial amount of food, homeowners and businesses took harder hits.
"It was a mess," Hawkins said. "It just keeps happening. You know... just keeps happening. I worry about this spring, when all this snow melts—whether we're going to have another one."
Director of MEMA, Pete Rogers, said weather trends have been concerning.
"We're seeing this a lot more often," Rogers. "The days of the single storms where you get a lot of snow. For instance, now we're seeing snow rain high winds power outages so multi-hazard storms."
Mills said she's requesting $50 million from the federal legislature to help fund projects that will make Maine more resilient against recurring storms—referencing a construction project in Kennebunk.
"They're rebuilding a whole road, causeway to the island to elevate it several hundred feet and elevate the utilities under that road," Mills said. "I could imagine something similar being planned for Deer Isle—Stonington. the causeway going to Deer Isle was very vulnerable these last few storms."
Roy said the deadline to apply for FEMA disaster assistance is April 1. When victims submit an application over the phone or online, they will receive a phone call or a text from an inspector who will then schedule an appointment to visit their home and assess their damages, he added.