Sen. Eloise Vitelli: Good news and hope as coastal Maine rebuilds from storms

Living in the Midcoast, one of our greatest joys is being able to walk the shoreline. Whether it's in brisk winter weather or the warm summer sun, our coastline is a wonder to behold. I think that's a big part of why the devastating storms in December and January felt so brutal.

People's homes and businesses were damaged. Many of us were without power for days on end. But our landmark marinas and coastal vistas also took a major hit. It's been difficult, to say the least, to see such catastrophic loss up and down Maine's coast.

Over the past months, work has been ongoing to slowly put things back together. There is some good news trickling in, and clear reasons to hope.

First, Reid State Park has reopened. I was happy to be able to take a stroll along the beach this past weekend. Repairs are in progress, and park management is asking people to please stay off the sand dunes, because they're very fragile right now. Nevertheless, it felt good to return to one of my favorite places in Maine.

In Augusta, we're continuing to work on relief efforts to help our neighbors and businesses, including a bill from my colleague, Sen. Craig Hickman, L.D. 2191, "An Act to Provide Relief to Small Businesses Affected by Severe Weather-related Events." This bill is still working its way through the legislative process, but I know every lawmaker in the State House feels the heavy weight of needing to help our local businesses.

In other good news, the Biden Administration has approved the state's request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the Dec. 17 storm. This will help ensure the 10 counties that were most impacted are eligible for federal funding to help recover and rebuild. This funding will help cover fixing public infrastructure in Androscoggin, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties. Additionally, folks in Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset counties can apply for assistance to help cover personal property damage. To learn more about that and apply, go to the governor's flood resource hub at maine.gov/flood/.

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Similar federal support for the back-to-back floods in January is still pending, so stay tuned for more information on that.

Also, thanks to the federal disaster declaration, residents and business owners in the ten counties mentioned above have extra time to file their state and federal taxes this year. The IRS and the State Department of Administrative and Financial Services both announced that anyone who lives in or has a business in those counties has an extended tax filing deadline of June 17, 2024. For those who are still struggling through insurance paperwork, repairs and other documentation, this is a weight off their shoulders.

While all of this is good news, there's still more work and waiting ahead of us. I know our community will recover and build back better just as Mainers always have — together. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to my office by calling (207) 287-1515 or by emailing me directly at [email protected].

Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, represents Senate District 24 in the Maine Senate, which includes all of Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden in Lincoln County.