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Linda Nelson is economic and community development director for the town of Stonington and co-chair of the Governor’s Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission.
Eight federal disaster declarations have been issued to Maine following extreme weather events over the past 18 months, way out of the range of normal for the state.
The series of devastating storms in December and January were the latest to wreak havoc from coastal wharves and causeways to roads and bridges in western Maine. It will take years for the state to recover.
We should expect to see more extreme storms as the effects of climate change become more prevalent.
Maine’s warm seasons are getting warmer and wet seasons are getting wetter. Sea level is rising and surface temperatures in the Gulf of Maine are increasing, all of which makes for greater storm intensity.
A new scientific assessment of climate change and its effects in Maine says these trends will continue.
For the sake of Maine’s economy, the success of local businesses and the evolution of our workforce, we must develop partnerships among governments at all levels and business sectors to identify strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change and create the resilient infrastructure to withstand them.
But how do governments begin to help businesses adapt to dramatic changes in the business environment? Opening lines of communication, offering science-based information and improving the infrastructure that businesses rely on is a start.
These critical issues were addressed by state experts in a forum hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Science is US, a national foundation.
When unprecedented southeasterly winds and surging tides combined with sea level rise to destroy fishing wharves and other working waterfront structures in Stonington, the livelihoods not only of local fishermen but of our entire community that depends on our marine economy were suddenly in jeopardy. The only road into the town’s port, which is used to transport 11 percent of Maine’s lobster catch, also was cut off by flooding, creating another hardship for local businesses and residents. Steps must be taken to ensure the road remains open and the waterfront commercially accessible when the next storm hits, and the one after that.
Making our infrastructure more resilient means elevating roads, ensuring culverts that run beneath roads and bridges have capacity sufficient to handle significantly greater water volumes and constructing wharves to withstand sea level rise and storm surges. There is no retreat for what remains of Maine’s working waterfront.
Businesses can also tell government leaders what they need to succeed. If rising sea temperatures are leading to the creation of new species, our fishermen — scientists in their own right — will be in the best position to adapt their workforces and equipment in response.
To counter the impact of climate change on Maine’s economy, we must act more quickly than we have to date. It can take two to three years to identify funding, secure permits and navigate what can be sensitive environmental issues to clear the way for critical infrastructure improvements. And the redevelopment itself can take as long. We must do better.
As part of her strong commitment to building a more climate resilient Maine, Gov. Janet Mills established a community resilience fund providing $8.5 million to 226 communities accounting for 70 percent of the state’s population.
Most recently, the initiative awarded $2.4 million across 54 communities for climate adaptation and resilience projects, among other climate-related initiatives.
During a visit to Stonington in May the governor signed an executive order to create the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission to deliver an infrastructure plan focused on improvements to disaster preparation, recovery and response. Initial recommendations are due to the governor and Legislature in November.
“Maine Won’t Wait” is the mantra for the state’s climate action plan for moving to cleaner energy, more efficient heating and cooling systems, low- and no-emission vehicles and more resilient infrastructure. Failure to act with a sense of urgency is not an option.
