A boat house pulled into New Harbor by the Wednesday, Jan 10 storm. Local officials are urging residents to report damages from the Jan. 10 storm separately from any damages resulting from a potential storm Saturday, Jan. 13. (Johnathan Riley photo)
In the wake of a winter storm that devastated portions of Maine’s coastline Wednesday, Jan. 10, local officials are urging residents to document damage now, ahead of a potential storm Saturday, Jan. 13.
At the Thursday, Jan. 11 meeting of the Bristol Harbor Committee, Bristol Select Board member Kristine Poland told residents they need to document damage from both storms separately and file separate claims.
“This is devastating stuff,” Poland said. “You need to fill out the damage survey.”
According to the National Weather Service Office in Gray, snow, rain, and wind gusts up to 45 mph are forecast to arrive in Lincoln County after 5 a.m. Saturday.
According to a press release from Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director Maury Prentiss, individuals, homeowners, small businesses, and agriculture producers can submit damage reports online.
In the press release, Prentiss advised residents to keep in mind submitting a survey or a PDF form is not an application for assistance and there is no guarantee any assistance will be available. The purpose of submitting damage reports is to help the state determine whether there are enough damages to seek a federal disaster declaration and receive funding.
According to Prentiss, damage reports from the Jan. 10 storm must be submitted by Thursday, Jan. 18, to be included in the totals for determining whether the state has enough damage to obtain a federal disaster declaration.
Individuals and households can submit their initial damage assessment survey at shorturl.at/ajzP1.
Any and all inquiries and/or damage submissions from members of Maine’s fishing community must fill out the online survey at survey123.arcgis.com/share/f72826c1e40d4420ad89934b553c0e82?open=menu. This address is the intake resource for Jan. 10 storm damage reports.
Business and agriculture producers can submit their damage assessments at shorturl.at/chuG5. Filling out the online survey by following this link is the only option for submitting business and agriculture damage reports related to Jan. 10.
Bristol Town Administrator Rachel Bizarro said the more reports filed, the higher the estimated dollar amount of damages will be and the more likely it is towns will receive federal funding help.
“There’s no certainty that we’ll get any federal money to help with damages,” Bizarro said. “If we can get everyone to submit their damage assessments, we stand a better chance.”
For more information, go to maine.gov/mema/grants/individual-assistance-grant-program.
