Contact: Antonia Ferrier (202) 224-5344
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representative Tom Allen (D-ME) sent a letter to President Bush requesting he declare a disaster for York County, which would clear the way for federal assistance. Over a foot of rain has fallen over the last three days in York County. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated, with families taking shelter in two emergency shelters that have been opened in the communities of Kennebunk and Sanford. Yesterday, Governor Baldacci submitted a request for emergency declaration and federal assistance.

Following is the full text of the letter:

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to express our support for a request that Governor John Baldacci will be submitting for federal disaster assistance on behalf of our home state of Maine as a result of the massive flooding and extensive rainfall that southern Maine has endured over the course of the past three days. With over a foot of rainfall received over this short time period, significant federal assistance for Maine will be necessary.

Today, southern Maine is facing over two-hundred homes in York County that have been evacuated, causing families to take shelter in two emergency shelters that have been opened in the communities of Kennebunk and Sanford. There has also been significant damage to roads, culverts and bridges causing wide-spread, serious structural damage in the towns and cities of Kittery/Eliot, Berwick, Arundel/Kennebunk, Biddeford, Buxton/Hollis, Dayton/Lyman/Saco, Kennebunkport, Lebanon, Limington, North Berwick, Ogunquit, Old Orchard Beach, Sanford, Shapleigh, and Wells. This has forced the Maine Department of Transportation to close eight bridges, three roads, and reduce traffic on five major routes in southern York County. In addition to the closure of state roads, the flooding has caused local municipalities to close more than sixty local roads to include bridges and intersections. At this time, twenty-two Maine National Guard personnel at the Sanford Armory have been providing bridge manning, and an additional twenty Maine National Guard personnel with the 133rd Engineers have been deployed today with equipment for debris removal. It is becoming increasingly evident that federal assistance will be necessary for this region of southern Maine to recover from the extensive damages.

We strongly urge you to carefully consider and rapidly approve Governor Baldacci’s request for federal disaster assistance in York County, Maine. We are sure you will agree, this treacherous weather event calls for drastic measures to allow families and businesses in York County to begin recovery efforts immediately.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your response to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE SUSAN M. COLLINS

United States Senator United States Senator

THOMAS H. ALLEN

Member of Congress

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