Janet Mills declares state of emergency due to powerful wind storm

By Michael Shepherd, Bangor Daily News Staff

AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in all but two of Maine’s 16 counties on Tuesday, a day after a powerful storm knocked out power to half the state.

The declaration from the Democratic governor allows Maine to respond quicker to the severe damage across the state. More than 420,000 households were without power early Tuesday, and many rural areas were cut off from main roads due to flooding and downed trees.

That came after Monday’s storm brought gusts of wind over 80 mph to parts of Maine along with a deluge of rain that caused flooding along inland rivers. Two people died while clearing debris, and another two were missing after their car was swept into a western Maine river.

Mills announced that she had declared an emergency at 4 p.m. Before that, the Democrat had been silent on the storm aside from statements announcing the closure of state offices. 

Her declaration gives her sweeping power to manage the storm response and sets the state up to request federal disaster relief once it estimates the damage. Mills said she will evaluate the need for the emergency order daily and rescind it once it is no longer necessary. It applies to all of Maine except for Cumberland and York counties, which were less affected by the storm.

“We are looking at a multi-day recovery effort right now, and Maine people can do their part by exercising vigilance and caution,” she said.