Steve Berry of Old Orchard Beach secures a floating propane tank on a neighbor’s home in Ocean Park on Jan. 13. “It is the worst we have ever seen”, said Berry, whose family has lived there since 1978. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald
Two storms in January brought historic high tides, flooding, and damage to private and public property along Maine’s coast. Thanks to a major disaster declaration from the Biden Administration, which unlocked federal dollars to help with storm repairs, Maine will have some recovery help from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Some homeowners and renters who experienced damage to their property or loss of property during the storms will be able to access federal grants or loans to assist with repairs. The deadline to apply for that help is May 20.
FEMA can provide people who sustained property damage between Jan. 9 and Jan. 13 with three types of help: rental assistance, limited home repair, and replacement of some personal property.
Who is eligible? Residents in Maine’s eight coastal counties – Washington, Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland, and York – are eligible for individual assistance under the major disaster declaration.
But crucially, only uninsured or “underinsured” renters or homeowners who experienced damage can access FEMA assistance, said Deanna Frazier, a media relations specialist for FEMA.
“Let’s say that you did have insurance, but you just didn’t have enough to get your home back to that pre-disaster condition or it doesn’t cover certain things, FEMA may be able to help you,” but people who are insured 100% are not eligible for assistance, said Frazier.
Residents can submit an application by calling 800-621-3362, going online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or downloading the mobile FEMA app.
In York County, residents also have the option of going to the Disaster Recovery Center at the Wells Fire Station Number 2, located at 585 North Berwick Road in Wells.
Business owners who sustained property damage can also access relief by going to the Disaster Recovery Center, where they can connect with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and apply for an SBA loan.
To complete an application, FEMA will ask for personal information, like bank information, insurance information, and a social security number, said Frazier. The agency will assign applicants with a nine digit number and then have an inspector contact the person within 10 days about reviewing the property damage. FEMA will determine how much a person qualifies for once the inspector does an in-person evaluation.
For those not comfortable giving their personal information over the phone or electronically, Frazier suggests visiting the Disaster Recovery Center in person.
Residents may get assistance either in grants – which do not need to be paid back – or in the form of SBA loans.
“During times of disaster, FEMA tasks the SBA with providing long term low interest loans to homeowners and renters,” said Frazier, so even though it might sound like these loans are only for business owners, they’re not.
Frazier gave one example of what relief could look like: If a home is no longer livable and the homeowner must pay rent to live somewhere else while repairs are done, but is still paying rent or a mortgage on their home, FEMA can help with up to two months of rent. After the two month mark, FEMA reassesses, but a household could be eligible for rental assistance for up to 18 months.
For repairs, FEMA can help qualifying households get their home into a “safe, sanitary and functional” state. It might not get a home to pre-disaster condition, she said, but the agency will help with things like repairing the foundation of a home and making sure doors and windows lock.
For replacement of personal property, residents could have items like a computer, eye glasses, a walker, a bed, or a dining room table replaced. The idea is that FEMA will replace items in a home that make it “basically functional,” Frazier explained.
For those who have already spent money fixing damage – which is likely the case for many households, given that the storm was multiple months ago – people can still apply and access FEMA relief if there is documentation of the resources spent.
Lastly, beware of scams. “During times of disaster, it is so unfortunate, but there are people that come in – a lot of times from out of state – and perpetrate fraud and scam on survivors,” she said. It often takes the form of scammers pretending to be FEMA inspectors, showing up at homes, and asking people for money or personal information.
There have been two recent instances in Cumberland County where someone in a parked car was outside a home taking pictures, she said. When a resident inquired about what they were doing, the person said they were with FEMA, but didn’t provide any proof – and eventually drove away.
If in doubt whether someone is actually a FEMA official, ask them for their official identification. Frazier said every real FEMA official will be able to produce identification with a red hologram on it.
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