On the eve of a weather event promising to bring high winds and waters, a group of stakeholders convened in Machias to discuss strategies for mitigating storm damage and to share resources that have been compiled since last winter's devastating storms. The December 10 meeting, organized by Maine Sea Grant, the University of Maine, NOAA and several others, highlighted the impacts of the January storms on Washington County communities along with vulnerabilities that have become apparent as a result.
      Machias was the most impacted economically, stated Tora Johnson, director of the Sunrise County Economic Council's (SCEC) Sustainable Prosperity Initiative, although Milbridge also experienced a significant amount of damage to its working waterfront. The January 10 storm resulted in $8.36 million in damages in Machias, while the impact of the January 13 storm amounted to approximately $3.9 million.
      The Down East Sunrise Trail "was destroyed," Johnson said, dramatically affecting commercial entities that depended on it. "There's no recouping the losses as a result of that trail being damaged." Machias has made some gains in recovering, said Sarah Dedmon, operations manager for Machias and selectperson for Machiasport. Of the latter, she advised it was just awarded a $70,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will repair the town pier.
      Eastport "was really hit hard" by the storms, said City Councillor Jeanne Peacock, explaining that the downtown shoreline "is a wind tunnel" broken up only by the Sea Street building -- which is in precarious condition. There was "a lot of roof damage" to residences, along with lost trees. The inner basin of the harbor, meanwhile, "is not protected from southerly storms," resulting in multiple boats breaking free.
      By the Boat School "we lost a whole bank" to erosion and had to spend $40,000 to rebuild it, Peacock said. In Quoddy Village, "the tidal action went right up under the tar," necessitating an orchestrated effort by the public works crew to fix it.
      Beyond simply repairing damage, Eastport is taking steps to prevent it in the future. To mitigate damage to moored boats, the Eastport Port Authority has been looking into applying for a grant to build an extension to the breakwater and protect the harbor, Peacock said. The city has acquired a generator for city hall as well as an ATV to reach remote places and a public announcement system powered by batteries. Plans are in the works to build a battery array -- eventually incorporating solar, tidal and diesel power as a backup -- that would provide three to four hours of power to the entire island.
      In Roque Bluffs, an access road and 500 feet of shoreline "washed away," said selectman Phil Pinto, requiring about $4 million -- or eight years of the town's budget -- to fix. "We are having a hard time finding the resources needed to fix it."
      In addition, the eponymous bluffs of Roque Bluffs saw significant damage, Pinto said, something that doesn't immediately affect property owners and thus does not fit into the parameters of most grants. However, unless the town is able to address the riprap, "it will have serious impact" to property.
      Roque Bluffs is looking at converting its community center into a warming and charging center for residents who become cut off from the mainland or lose power due to inclement weather.
      Mark Smith of Cooper provided an update on the town's situation, noting that there was "not an enormous amount of damage" beyond some notable homes, the boat launch and its adjoining road. Both the boat launch and the nearby road will be addressed in a FEMA grant.

Resources available
      Since the January storms, SCEC has created planning maps with flood layers for municipalities around the county to enable informed development and the rebuilding of lost infrastructure. In addition, the organization has updated the working waterfront inventory of affected communities, a process that makes it easier for communities to apply for grants and loans. Lastly, SCEC has been assessing the resilience of the electric grid along working waterfronts. With this data, SCEC is able to assist municipalities with infrastructure and non infrastructure grants by providing guidance and documentation, Johnson advised.
      SCEC is among the groups that have partnered with the Downeast Conservation Network to ensure access to clam flats in relation to particular projects. "Clam fishers are experiencing harm due to needing to use boats to access flats, and with the increasing threat of weather events, it makes them vulnerable. They're never using the appropriate boats -- let's face it -- and they're sometimes carrying their catch and their gear across long distances of mud."
      Shellfish harvester Amanda Lyons of Lubec acknowledged the difficulties faced by clammers and added that while traveling in her boat she has noticed how property owners are "losing feet of their shoreline," including one property -- whose owner hasn't been there in three years -- where 20 feet of the bank has been lost.
      In regard to clam flats, Jacob van de Sande of Maine Coast Heritage Trust emphasized to municipalities that, if there is a piece of land that would secure access to clam flats in their jurisdiction, there are private funds available to buy the land and he should be contacted at 259 5040.
      Perhaps the county's greatest resource is funding and support from the Maine Emergency Management Agency and FEMA, said Lisa Hanscom of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency (WCEMA). However, those funds and resources can't be accessed if municipalities fail to report their estimated damage in a timely fashion. A certain threshold must be reached in the state and the county for an emergency declaration to be made, Hanscom said, though for the county it is notably low at $140,000.
      Municipalities and property owners have been failing to report and underreporting their damage, Hanscom said, leading to the county only meeting the threshold for two of the last 11 statewide declarations. "We could have met more."
      "You're gonna lose if you don't go out and give your best guess as to the damage," emphasized WCEMA assistant director Christine Day.
      To ease reporting, Hanscom sends around a damage assessment after each storm to every municipality in the county. That assessment can be later accessed to support grants, planning and paperwork.
      One of the county's biggest pain points is its electrical grid, said Johnson. "We need help figuring out a grid that works, especially for the far flung parts of the county." Washington County is in the top 2% nationally for having the highest outage hours. Groups will be starting up soon to organize an effort to persuade Versant Power of the necessity, she stated.
      Some homegrown solutions are brewing at the University of Maine, said Jim Bryce of the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center. He stated that the department has developed lightweight, noncorrosive composite arch bridges capable of lasting 100 years that are now being deployed around the country. Also in production are 100 composite girders with similar lifespans that Bryce envisions could serve as marine platforms. Lastly, the department has developed 3D printed culvert diffusers that can be printed in a day, installed easily and can improve flow by up to 40%.
      Portions of the Mills administration's $60 million in funding to working waterfronts on the heels of the January storm -- being the largest ever amount assigned as such -- are still available for municipalities and property owners, said Maine Sea Grant organizers. To access links to resources, including information on tax breaks for working waterfront landowners, visit seagrant.umaine.edu/workingwaterfrontstorms.
      Those seeking spiritual guidance in light of the Downeast community's challenges or due to personal crises can contact Spiritual Services of Maine to speak with an interfaith chaplain. Leave a voicemail at 261 5200 to do so.