LUBEC, Maine — Despite a “freight train” of successive snowstorms that have buried two of the easternmost municipalities in Maine under several feet of snow in the past three weeks, it doesn’t look like the federal government will help pay for the town’s efforts to dig themselves out, according to a state official.
Eastport, which has gotten more than 8 feet of snow since Jan. 24, and Lubec, which is not far behind, are getting some assistance. The Maine Department of Transportation, private contractors, volunteers and others have chipped in to help remove the deep snow that closed off some local roads and still has many of them reduced to one lane of travel. Town officials say it is slow going and is taking a toll on residents, employees and equipment, but progress is being made.
The issue of federal funding comes down to the formula the Federal Emergency Management Agency uses when considering who to reimburse for snow removal, according to Lynette Miller of the Maine Emergency Management Agency. She said Tuesday that FEMA only looks at individual storms, not at the cumulative effect of multiple storms, and at whether a particular storm may have set a record for snowfall in a particular county.
Snowfall records have been set in Washington County, she said, but only because of repeated storms that have dumped snow in quick succession in eastern county municipalities. Individually, none of those storms have set snowfall records in Washington County, she said.
“FEMA does not consider cumulative effects” of multiple snowstorms, Miller said. “At this point, it does not look like [Washington County qualifies].”
There are some areas in Maine that do, however. Miller said snowfall records were set in Androscoggin, Cumberland, Sagadahoc and York counties during the Jan. 27 blizzard, and so those counties will be eligible to apply for federal reimbursement in getting streets cleared and snow trucked away. She said that at least $1.9 million must be spent statewide in snow removal costs for any particular storm for Maine to qualify for FEMA reimbursement.
Mike Hinerman, director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency, said Tuesday that there is a chance FEMA might make a hardship exemption for Eastport, Lubec and other nearby towns, but he said it is “unlikely” they will get any federal funding.
Hinerman said he has maintained close contact with officials in Eastport and Lubec, where they have struggled the most with clearing streets and hauling snow away. Both towns have dense, compact downtowns, where streets are fairly narrow and houses are packed in close to one another, he said. They also are surrounded by water — completely, in Eastport’s case — and are prevented by state law from pushing snow over the high tide line.
“This freight train of snow storms are wearing them out,” Hinerman said, especially for the municipal employees who have been working nearly around-the-clock as each successive storm dumps several inches of snow on their towns. “This has been a long, drawn-out thing that has worn out crews and equipment.”
Hinerman has talked to the towns about requesting extra manpower to help them dig out, including the possibility of getting the Maine National Guard to assist, but the lack of federal reimbursement in covering that cost has put that potential request on hold. Given the number of heavy snowstorms, he said, Washington County towns would meet the cumulative total of $113,000 in snow removal costs required by the state to apply for federal funds.
Eastport City Manager Elaine Abbott said the Maine Department of Transportation sent two trucks to the city on Tuesday to help haul snow away and is expected to send the trucks again on Wednesday. She said Public Works Director Howie Johnson has told her that, at their current pace, it likely will take a week to sufficiently clear the city streets of snow — provided no more snowstorms come along during that time.
Eastport has received 99 inches of snow since Jan. 24 and set a statewide record for a 10-day period with 76 inches of snow between Jan. 24 and Feb 2.
“When you’re talking about this much snow, it’s hard to remove it in rapid fashion,” Abbott said.
John Sutherland, town administrator for Lubec, said Tuesday that the Department of Transportation has sent two dump trucks and a bucket loader to Lubec for the past two days to assist the town with clearing its streets of 2 feet of snow that fell between late Saturday and early Monday. He said the town has been in a “crisis” mode for the past couple of days, trying to make sure people aren’t trapped in their homes
“We’ve got a lot of snow,” he said. “During the height of [Sunday’s blizzard], we had whiteout conditions.”
At times, Sutherland said, the wind and snow were so intense that even plow trucks had to get off the streets. The town also has had to contend with equipment failures, he said, but has been offered around-the-clock assistance from auto parts stores.
The Lubec official said one woman told him she had to wait for the tide to go out this morning before she could walk to a neighboring property and then out to the road by her house. Volunteers are checking on their neighbors, and the town is compiling a list of volunteers so people who need help shoveling or plowing can get it.
Sutherland said that, even though Lubec is getting help and is making headway, the town would not turn down additional state assistance or federal assistance if it was offered. The heavy amount of snow that recently has covered eastern Washington County — which weather forecasters say is unprecedented for modern times — warrants it.
“I think these communities definitely deserve it,” Sutherland said. “ You can cry about it or you can tackle it. We’ve rolled up our sleeves, and we’re going to tackle it.”
