Relief fund provides grants to Maine businesses affected by flooding and power outages

A special fund has been set up to provide grants to small and medium-sized businesses affected by last month’s severe floods and storms.

The Maine Retail Association and Maine Grocery Producers Association announced Tuesday that the relief fund will provide grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 to help businesses recover from the storm. The group expects the Maine Business Relief Fund to begin accepting grant applications by Jan. 4, making other businesses and individuals eligible for tax credits to the fund. We are appealing for donations.

Curtis Pickard, president and CEO of the Maine Retail Association, said the timing of the Dec. 18 storm caused many businesses to lose inventory and damage equipment, a week before Christmas. He said that sales had decreased.

“It was important for our industry to come together and try to help directly and quickly,” Pickard said. “The goal of the Maine Business Relief Fund is to provide direct financial relief to help businesses quickly clean, restock, and get back on their feet.”

Many downtown areas along the Kennebec, Androscoggin and other rivers suffered some of the most severe flooding in decades after the storm. Some areas received more than 6 inches of rain, while others experienced wind gusts exceeding 110 mph. Hundreds of thousands of Maine residents and businesses lost power during the peak of the storm and its immediate aftermath.

Gov. Janet Mills spoke inside the Kushnock Brewing restaurant, one of several businesses in downtown Augusta affected by flooding, saying her administration supports creating a new grant program. , said it will provide $10,000 from the governor’s office’s emergency fund. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials also arrived in Maine this week to assess damage from the storm, a precursor to a federal disaster declaration that would target the area for additional federal aid.

“My administration will continue to do everything we can to support efforts like this that support businesses and individuals in our communities and help our state recover from last month’s horrific storms,” Mills said. Stated.

Organizers said an anonymous donor offered to match the $250,000 contribution to the new fund. More information about the program is available online at www.MaineBusinessReliefFund.com.