Gov. LePage to tour Lewiston fire damage

LEWISTON — Gov. Paul LePage is coming to Lewiston on Tuesday to see the damage from three fires that left nearly 200 people homeless in the last week.

Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald will accompany the governor on his tour, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall.

“I am committed to working with city officials and the people of Lewiston to lessen the burden of those who have been affected by these tragic events,” the governor said in a statement Monday.

“Growing up on the streets of Lewiston, I am very familiar with the buildings burned. The local effort of restaurants, retailers, community members, charities and city and state government reflects the best in Maine people. The support has been heartwarming and shows the generosity of Mainers helping to rebuild lives and the city,” he said.

The statement said the governor regrets that he could not come to Lewiston on Monday. He was attending former Gov. John Reed’s internment in Fort Fairfield.

According to a press release from the House Democratic Office, the city’s legislative delegation wrote to LePage asking him to declare an emergency and to access all state and federal funds available.

The lawmakers, according to the release, have asked LePage to release funds from the governor’s contingency account to help residents who have lost their homes.

According to Mayor Macdonald, the governor had already been in touch with Sen. Susan Collins’ office and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the federal Housing and Urban Development to “help us in our plight here.”

City officials met Monday with representatives of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, the Maine State Housing Authority and the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate social services for fire victims, including ensuring that any documentation the victims need to seek services is replaced as soon as possible.

The state will also work to replace EBT cards, according to Holly Stover, DHHS acting director for multicultural affairs, and will ensure that housing subsidies will move with fire victims to their new homes so they are not overburdened by high rent costs.