Maine Gov. Janet Mills traveled to New Harbor in the mid-coast town of Bristol Friday afternoon to survey damage caused by storm surge earlier in the week. Severe flooding destroyed several homes, docks and other structures in the fishing village. And with another dangerous storm on the way Saturday, Mills is urging the public to stay home.
"It goes without saying - this is not a tourist event. I don't want people to think they should just drive down to the coast tomorrow and see the high tide," Mills said. "It's not something you want to be close to, not something you want to go see just for the heck of it."
On Thursday, Mills declared a State of Emergency for eight Maine counties along the coast, which opens the door for state and possibly federal resources to aid recovery efforts. Mills, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher and local legislators toured the damaged New Harbor Fisherman's Cooperative.
“The damage I saw today in New Harbor was devastating – and it’s representative of the destruction Maine people are experiencing up and down the coast," Mills said.
She urged any individual or business that has experienced flood damage to report it to the State by dialing 2-1-1 or by visiting the Mills Administration’s Maine Flood Resources & Assistance Hub. If that damage exceeds the State’s ability to respond, Governor Mills said she will seek another Federal Disaster Declaration – in addition to the one the State is preparing to submit to the Federal government for last month’s storm.
