Only 1.3 percent of all homes and buildings in Maine are covered under the National Flood Insurance Program.
MAINE, USA — State leaders tasked with reviewing Maine’s preparations and responses to climate change-fueled natural disasters are at a crossroads.
While Maine has seen seven federal disaster declarations for severe storms and flooding in the past three years, statewide enrollment in federally-backed flood insurance policies is dwindling.
Public infrastructure has been repeatedly damaged, including the coast’s working waterfronts, and the state has been reliant on federal disaster assistance to rebuild and strengthen damaged infrastructure.
At a meeting earlier this month, members of the state Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission wondered whether a public insurance option offered by the state could protect both the uninsured and the state’s own public infrastructure.
“It’s the only way I can think of that actually provides a permanent stream of funding … to respond … to disasters as they occur and the need for increased resilience,” said Charlie Colgan, …