The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved 85 requests for individual assistance from Harpswell property owners following a disaster declaration resulting from back-to-back coastal storms in January.
The claims are still in the process of being paid out. As of Monday, June 17, the federal agency had disbursed more than $156,000 to Harpswell property owners, according to Harpswell Fire Administrator and Emergency Management Agent Michael Drake.
In April, FEMA opened a disaster recovery center on Orr’s Island to accept claim applications. It was staffed by representatives of both FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The center offered grants to private individuals and low-cost loans to businesses.
Drake said nearly 250 applicants visited the recovery center, but they weren’t all from Harpswell. “The (center) was open to anyone in Cumberland County,” he said.
Officials have said the deadline to apply for FEMA aid and most disaster-related loans from the Small Business Administration was May 20. The exception is economic injury loans, for which the deadline is Dec. 23.
Anne Fuchs, director of mitigation and recovery for the Maine Emergency Management Agency, said the state had not yet received information from the Small Business Administration about how many loans have been approved for affected businesses in Harpswell. The administration’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests for that information.
A preliminary damage assessment conducted by Harpswell officials this spring found that 195 residents and 92 small businesses in Harpswell reported suffering damage from the storms on Jan. 10 and 13.
Maine also is offering marine businesses a chance to apply for recovery grants through the state’s Working Waterfront Resiliency Grant Program, with up to $25 million available.
Monique Coombs, director of community programs for the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, said waterfront business are expected to receive information in August about the status of their applications. The program is designed to help larger businesses first, she said.
The town of Harpswell also is applying for federal disaster relief for damage to public infrastructure from the two storms, but state and local officials said that process takes much longer.
The town has assessed the cost of repairs to roads, docks, landings and other public infrastructure at nearly $220,000. That estimate did not include private property damage.
“This (public infrastructure) process can take anywhere from months to years depending on the type, magnitude, and complexity of damages,” Fuchs said in an email.
