Download What do Maine`s coastal communities need to safely

What do Maine’s coastal communities need to safely weather more frequent and
intense storms?
By Alex Gray, Graduate Student, University of Maine
Research Partners: Prof. Shaleen Jain, Civil and Environmental Engineering & Climate Change Institute
and Esperanza Stancioff, Climate Change Educator, UMaine Extension/Sea Grant
On April 16, 2007, one of the largest spring storms in memory hit New England, sending 30-foot
waves crashing onto the coastline. The 2007 “Patriots’ Day Storm” pushed many coastal
communities beyond their ability to cope with such extreme storms. Now, many cities and towns are
struggling to adapt current and future development projects to withstand future storms of this
magnitude, which are projected to increase in both frequency and intensity.
Patriot’s Day Storm in Saco, ME
This spring, University of Maine researchers met with municipal officials of Lincolnville and
Portland to discuss the barriers they face in preparing for the effects of a changing climate. At both
meetings, people said reports like Maine’s Climate Future, while interesting (to those who may have
read it), contain too much uncertainty and lack location-specific information for them to use in their
decision-making processes. As a result, researchers are now interested in learning the types of
information municipal officials do use, especially when preparing their communities for extreme
weather conditions such as snow and ice storms, storm surge, heavy rain, and high winds.
Another concern raised during both meetings was that coastal communities experience different
types of damage during storms. In Lincolnville, when heavy rains flood lakefront properties, the
town must ask the downstream town of Camden to open a dam in order to lower water levels, but this
usually causes flooding in Camden’s downtown riverfront buildings and so the town is often
reluctant to open the dam. In Portland, downtown flooding is the result of culverts that are too small
to handle the runoff from severe storms. The city wants to fix the inadequate culverts, but limits of
federal assistance further strain the limited resources of municipalities.
Solutions for Lincolnville and Portland need to be based on both the problems themselves (rising
lake water levels versus failing/inadequate culverts) and the type of community being affected (small
rural town versus large urban city). In addition, information to solve these problems needs to be
specific to each community’s unique characteristics in order to support their decision-making
processes.
In the Summer of 2010, researchers from the University of Maine surveyed coastal community
officials to learn about problem areas and how they are affected by snow and ice storms, storm surge,
heavy rain, and high winds. The research team is developing an “adaptation atlas” based on the
results of the survey, which will be used in workshops and meetings with communities to discuss the
solutions and assets that will prepare them for a changing climate.
This project is funded through the National Science Foundation Sustainability Solutions Initiative at
University of Maine George Mitchell Center.