President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for Maine as Hurricane Lee barrels down on the state.
That comes a day after Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency to activate more resources in preparation of the storm’s approach.
Biden’s presidential emergency disaster declaration will allow Maine to make use of federal resources to assist with the state’s response to Hurricane Lee.
“I thank President Biden for his swift approval of my request for an Emergency Disaster Declaration, which will give us access to additional resources as we work to keep Maine people safe during this storm,” Mills said in a Friday morning statement. “I continue to strongly urge all Maine people, especially those Downeast, to take the necessary precautions to stay safe as Hurricane Lee moves closer.”
In her letter to Biden earlier this week, Mills warned that Hurricane Lee could overwhelm the state’s emergency officials.
Mills cautioned Mainers that Hurricane Lee’s high winds, big surf and heavy rain may create dangerous conditions that pose “an imminent threat” to life and property.
Additionally, the heavy summer rain has increased soil saturation, flooding and nutrient runoff that has worsened tree health, and combined with the high winds, creates the conditions for widespread power outages.
The Thursday proclamation from Mills authorizes the Maine Emergency Management Agency to activate “all resources necessary” to deal with Hurricane Lee. Her office said Friday morning that Mills planned to visit the MEMA operations center in the afternoon for a briefing on the latest storm developments and preparations.
“The preemptive actions I took today position Maine to seize Federal resources to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Lee,” Mills said Thursday afternoon. “We continue to closely track the storm and are expecting heavy rains and high winds that likely will cause storm surge, inland flooding, infrastructure damage, and power outages. We continue to strongly urge Maine people — particularly those Downeast — to exercise caution and to take steps to ensure they have what they need to stay safe as the storm draws closer.”
Hurricane Lee is currently tracking farther to the east and likely to pass Down East Maine and travel up the Bay of Fundy into Canada. That will likely lessen the impact from the storm on southern and central Maine and concentrate its worst effects over parts of the midcoast and Down East Maine, according to meteorologists with CBS affiliate WGME.
But forecasters still warn that even if Hurricane Lee doesn’t hit Maine directly, the storm will still have a severe impact on the state.
The impacts from Lee will be felt between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, with the worst of the storm happening from the afternoon into the night. Lee will produce strong waves and winds in excess of 50 mph.
Coastal authorities have been scrambling to prepare their communities for what could be a potentially damaging storm even as they hope for the best.
“You always look out for the worst, no matter how dumb it is when nothing happens,” George “Bud” Finch, the interim city manager of Eastport, told the Bangor Daily News earlier this week. “If it comes fast, we’ve got to be ready.”