Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins were notified today by the White House that the President has declared a major disaster in Oxford County, resulting from severe storms and flooding on July 11th and 12th. The storms left six to eight inches of rain in the area, impairing Bethel Water District’s filtration system and devastating the community’s infrastructure. In a recent letter to the administration, Senators Snowe and Collins asked President Bush to quickly approve this request to help residents in Oxford County rebuild their lives.
Federal FEMA disaster funding is available to states and local communities on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and for the repair or replacement of damaged facilities. The federal share for this disaster declaration is expected to be about $1.37 million.
In a joint statement Senators Snowe and Collins said, “It is good news that these much-needed emergency dollars for Oxford County were swiftly approved. It is our hope that the Bethel Water District can now be quickly restored to its pre-storm state. These dollars will help the community recovery from this devastating storm.”