Maine governor calls for disaster declaration to help recover from summer flooding

OXFORD, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor is calling on President Joe Biden to issue a disaster declaration to help the western part of the state recover from summer flooding.

The storms took place in late June in Oxford and Franklin counties and resulted in damage to public infrastructure that is beyond the state’s capacity to address, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday. The storms caused rainfall and flooding that resulted in more than $9 million in damage, she said.

Maine would get access to federal money for damage repair if Biden approves the request, which Mills formally made on Wednesday. Mills said increased frequency and intensity of storms over the past two years have taxed all levels of government in their ability to respond to disasters.

Public infrastructure across the country has been made more vulnerable by climate change, which has made storms more unpredictable. Elsewhere in northern New England, Vermont has been hit especially hard by flooding this summer.