Maine's Democratic Governor Janet Mills has been labeled a liar by the National Weather Service after she claimed her forecasters failed to warn her of a historic storm.
The esteemed federal agency slammed Mills after she was criticized for failing to adequately warn locals that as much as a foot of rain would fall on Dec. 18, causing massive flooding and leaving 400,000 people without power.
Mills put her foot in it last Wednesday as she toured flood-ravaged Kennebec County, saying, “The National Weather Service did not predict two to six inches of rain in any community in Maine.”
But an NWS spokesman said the 75-year-old lawmaker was talking nonsense and insisting that state and local officials had been informed of the impending flood on Dec. 15.
And on Sunday the 17th – the day before the storm – the weather service met with state officials to further brief them on expected flooding, gusty winds and impacts to the state's coastline.
Governor Janet Mills is flinching as she says the National Weather Service failed to adequately predict the severe magnitude of the winter storm that hit Maine last week
Cars are flooded in a parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center along the Kennebec River, Tuesday, December 19, 2023, in Waterville, Maine
Mills and her office have not yet responded to the NWS's claims that she is a liar.
Images from the storm's aftermath show cars hanging from extremely damaged roads, intense, murky flooding that swept away other vehicles, collapsed construction sites and downed trees and power lines.
The storm, which Mills called “an extraordinary event,” tore through the Northeast on Monday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people, forcing flights to be canceled and killing at least four people.
Wind gusts reached nearly 70 miles per hour, which Mills also said the National Weather Service had not predicted.
“The National Weather Service was not predicting wind speeds of 68 to 70 miles per hour in any part of Maine,” she said. 'It was a special event.'
In fact, the NWS appears to have forecast possible wind speeds of 60 to 75 miles per hour at the same time they were predicting 4 to 6 inches of rain.
Earlier this week, Mills announced the launch of an online resource for Maine residents hit hard by the flooding and other storm damage.
The Maine Flood Resources and Assistance Hub launched Tuesday. According to the governor's office, it will gather “information, resources and assistance” for those affected by the storm.
Propane tanks released by floodwaters release gas as they float on the Kennebec River through Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Nathan Sennett and Tori Grasse retrieve furniture from a flooded patio near the Kennebec River, Tuesday, December 19, 2023, in Hallowell, Maine
A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center along the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine
A man observes the flooded Kennebec River on December 19 in Maine
The hub's announcement came after a civil emergency was declared in 14 of Maine's 16 counties.
The severity of the storm's damage prompted Mills to request a Major Disaster Declaration from President Joe Biden, which would allow federal resources to supplement state-led recovery efforts.
“In the wake of last week's storm, my administration launched the Maine Flood Resources and Assistance Hub to help Maine people with questions they have about property damage, road safety, tree removal and more,” Mills said in the press release about the resource center.
“We will update this website as more information becomes available as part of our efforts to do everything we can to support the fastest possible recovery for Maine communities.”
The governor also announced Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the Maine Emergency Management Agency's request to initiate a preliminary damage assessment, which is the first formal step toward requesting the aforementioned Major Disaster Declaration.