The Governor, led by Pineo, toured various sites impacted by the flooding and observed the current reconstruction efforts commenced by the town and the MDOT. In some areas, the embankments next to the road had been eroded up to twenty feet due to the flood surge. In one instance, Pineo showed the governor where the water flow was so strong, it moved both a culvert and a truck from their owner's property into the middle of the road. Pineo ended the tour by showing Governor LePage to site where flooding had created a ravine in the road - the place where a Brownville resident recently perished in an automotive accident.
"I want to let the people of Brownville know that we are going to keep working hard to get things fixed. The process is underway by MEMA to find the way forward and they are doing a great job" said Governor LePage.
Currently, MEMA and the town of Brownville are assessing the monetary damage caused by the recent flooding. If the damage surpasses the $1.793 million threshold for the State of Maine, then the Governor may request that the President issue a major disaster declaration, which if approved would enact the process for FEMA to provide disaster assistance. In this scenario, FEMA would pay approximately 75% of the reconstruction costs and the State of Maine would fund an additional 15% - leaving the affected municipal Governments to cover the remaining 10%.
If the damages do not meet or exceed that threshold, there are other avenues the State can pursue to mitigate the cost impact, such as looking at individual assessment options, or requesting special low-interest loans for business reconstruction from the Small Business Association, if warranted.
The Maine Department of Transportation has already begun the process of reconstructing Brownville's roadways and mitigating the damage caused by the water flow.
For more information on the Maine Emergency Management Agency, http://www.state.me.us/mema/
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