2026-09-12 · Maine · Regulation

The number a board can cite. When owners ask why the master-policy premium and the reserve target have both moved since 2024, there is a specific, documented answer. FEMA's major disaster declaration for Maine's January 2024 coastal storms, DR-4764-ME, has obligated roughly $57.47 million in federal assistance across the state's eight coastal counties.¹

What happened, and where

Two back-to-back coastal storms on 10 January and 13 January 2024 produced wind gusts around 60 mph generally and 70 to 80 mph on islands and the immediate coastline, with moderate-to-major coastal flooding coinciding with astronomical high tides. Governor Mills's initial estimate put the damage at as much as $70 million.

The declaration issued on 20 March 2024, for an incident period of 9–13 January 2024, covering Washington, Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and York counties — the whole of Maine's coast.

What has been obligated

• Individual Assistance: $5,328,308.23
• Public Assistance: $50,093,722.99
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program: $2,046,387.69
• Total: approximately $57.47 million

Note the proportions. Public Assistance — money for public infrastructure, municipalities and certain nonprofits — is roughly nine-tenths of the total. Individual Assistance, which is what reaches private property owners, is under ten percent.

A second declaration, often confused with this one

An earlier December 2023 storm produced its own declaration, DR-4754-ME, issued 30 January 2024 for an incident period of 17–21 December 2023. Its Individual Assistance counties were Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset; its Public Assistance counties were Androscoggin, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo and Washington.

These are two distinct declarations with different incident periods and different county lists, and they should not be conflated — which matters if you are checking whether a particular property was inside a declared area.

1. FEMA, DR-4764-ME — Maine Severe Storm and Flooding (declared 20 March 2024, incident period 9–13 January 2024): county list and obligated assistance ↩
2. FEMA, DR-4754-ME initial notice (declared 30 January 2024, incident period 17–21 December 2023) ↩
3. Office of Governor Janet T. Mills, Governor Mills Signs LD 1 (P.L. 2025, c. 33), 22 April 2025 ↩
4. Maine Bureau of Insurance, Bulletin 485, 2025 Legislative Changes Affecting Insurance in Maine (25 July 2025) ↩
5. Maine Bureau of Insurance, Fortify Maine Homes — programme eligibility (condominiums excluded) and status ↩