Pockets of damage from the violent Friday thunderstorm total $200,000 in Lincoln County towns as reported Tuesday morning.
Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Tim Pellerin told county commissioners at their regular meeting Tuesday he has filed a declaration of disaster to the state Emergency Management Agency.
Pellerin enumerated storm damage assessments received from various communities throughout the county totaling around $173,000, and then Commissioner Sheridan Bond said Jefferson received an estimated $20,000 damage. The total as of Tuesday morning reached $203,500 with still some communities not yet reporting.
Pellerin said five inches of rain fell in Waldoboro within just 90 minutes, and in Wiscasset three and a half inches fell in the same amount of time causing a lot of damage, including state roads.
“We need reports from towns that haven’t reported damages yet no later than this Thursday,” he said.
Blodgett said possible funding, like that which Oxford County has already received for damages done there last week, ought to be known “for communities that say they don’t get anything from the county.”
Funds have to be funneled through the county, he said.
Towns reporting totals as of Tuesday morning include Boothbay Harbor with $133,500 in damages, Newcastle with $15,000, Waldoboro with $15,000, Edgecomb with $20,000, and Jefferson with $20,000.
Concerning other matters, Pellerin said the state Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported four cases of H1N1 (swine flu) virus cases in Lincoln County, two of which have gone out of state. The total reported in Maine so far is 91.
“I’m trying to work more closely with the state CDC,” he said intimating communication has been limited. Pellerin complained the information he receives has been no different than what the public receives via broadcasts, and the county EMA has to keep first responders informed with up to date statistics.
“We need information to plan emergency preparedness,” he said. “Our role is communication and notification and to identify where the pockets of cases are.”
Pellerin considers the virus pandemic is in Lincoln County because of the cases reported, especially since there could be several more cases that go unreported.
“At some point we have to stop counting numbers and just say it is here,” he said “I’d call it a challenging flu season.”
Currently, the eye has been on South America, now in its winter months, to observe how the virus spreads there in determining what the road map should be like for the flu season in Maine, he said.
“We have to prepare. That’s how we’re dealing with it until it becomes worse,” Pellerin said.
According to the state CDC, most of the cases have been reported in the southern part of state, namely York County. No cases have been reported yet in Somerset, Franklin, Piscataquis, Waldo, Aroostook, and Washington Counties.
Pellerin also gave the board a positive report about the status of expenditures to date, which fall below what would normally be the case because of belt tightening done with the 9-1-1 communication centers, which he also directs, and the EMA.
To date, he said the 9-1-1 expenditures total 42 percent of the budget projected at 50 percent for this time period. The 9-1-1 budget totals $703,937.
The EMA expenditures total 37 percent with projected expenditures at 50 percent for this time period. Pellerin said the EMA receives funding for 50 percent of its budget totaling $143,431.