PATTEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) Traces from the late June rainstorm that caused flooding and roads to be washed away still remain. Brownville, Milo and Patten are on the slow road to recovery, but there will be no federal funding to help speed the process along.
Director of Public Works, Kevin Noyes with the town of Patten said, "We were hoping we could get funding because this is really going to hurta small town budget. It will probably affect capital improvement projects for the next four or five years."
Piscataquis County fell short of FEMA's mandatory minimum of one point eight million in damages, coming in at seven-hundred thousand dollars.
The town of Patten estimates the flood damages to reach three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Noyes described the clean up process as slow and steady, but effective.
"First reaction is 'oh my we are never going to get this fixed.' After a while things start coming together and you know it is just one day at a time."
Four of the town's major roads were washed away, three have been reopened. The last, Baker Brook, remains closed the the road still washed away. Noyes estimates another month before it is reopened.
Contractors have been working around the clock to repair the damaged roads and allow public access to them.
"That's the thing about working with a small town, people understand that things will get fixed it's just going to take time," said Noyes of the Patten community.
Noyes predicts that the town will not be fully repaired until fall.
NEWS CENTER