Maine County Added For Snow Assistance
Release Date: May 3, 2005
Release Number: 3209-002
» More Information on Maine Snow
NEWINGTON, N.H. -- Maine's Franklin County has been declared eligible for federal disaster funds to supplement emergency response efforts for the record snow storm which struck the state on March 9, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced.
After a review of snow data, Franklin was added to Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and York counties, all of which were previously declared to receive assistance from President Bush's April 1 declaration for this event. Maine counties have also received snow assistance declarations for record or near-record storms on January 22-23, and Feb.10-11 and March 11-12.
Under the Franklin County emergency declaration, FEMA will reimburse state and local government agencies 75 percent of the total eligible costs of equipment, contracts and personnel overtime related to emergency services in dealing with the snow over a 72-hour period. These are the crucial hours when work crews clear snow from emergency routes and roads to critical facilities to permit the passage of emergency vehicles. Related emergency protective measures used during that time period such as sanding and salting will also be eligible for reimbursement.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 22-Jun-2005 08:06:13