USING LESSONS FROM SUPERSTORM SANDY TO HELP SOUTHERN MAINE COASTAL COMMUNITIES PLAN FOR INCREASING STORMS

In Maine, residents disagree that a major coastal storm similar to Superstorm Sandy could occur and what types of preparatory actions should be taken. Two projects address the need for coastal hazard decision support, combined with the experience of responding to and recovering from a major storm event. First, “The Sandy Dialogues,” a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Science Collaborative-funded project between the Wells NERR and the Jacques Cousteau NERR brought stakeholders from two Maine towns with chronic beach erosion issues (Wells and Saco) to Tuckerton, NJ, in June 2014 to exchange experiences and lessons learned with NJ municipal officials and community members impacted by the storm. In September, these NJ stakeholders traveled to ME to share their experiences and co-lead evening meetings with their ME counterparts in community centers in Wells and Saco. Following, close to 50 people attended a municipal workshop that focused on preparedness measures for southern ME communities and was attended by local emergency response organizations, municipalities, conservation non-profits, academia, Homeland Security, and state agencies from Maine and New Hampshire. The second event, “The Building a Resilient Coast Tour” hosted by Maine Sea Grant built on “The Sandy Dialogues” events by targeting coastal property owners, local decision-makers, and others interested in individual actions that increase coastal resilience. Participants visited six southern Maine sites where landowners worked with or mimicked natural systems to protect coastal properties, shorelines and neighboring assets. Events like these can stimulate communities and property owners to invest in storm and climate change preparedness. Peer-to-peer exchange and experiential learning models communicate shared coastal vulnerabilities and solutions, are scalable, and are valuable tools for communities everywhere.