Summary: Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program. This month: The January 10 and 13, 2024 storms, along with compounding record high tides, storm surge, and strong southeasterly winds, caused much damage throughout the Maine coast, including the loss of many piers and wharves, erosion of roadways, and destruction of private and municipal coastal access infrastructure. On today’s show, we share portions of a January 16th information session about storm impact and response with leaders from the Departments of Marine Resources, Economic & Community Development, and Maine Emergency Management Agency. The online information session, hosted by the Island Institute just three days after the storm events, reflected the early nature of storm response. One thing emphasized during the show is that the state needs everyone who experienced storm damage to report their losses. Whether you are a waterfront business owner or homeowner, your information will help ensure that the level of aid from FEMA and others is in line with the actual needs on the ground. You can still report damages by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting the Department of Marine Resources website to fill out the forms online. If you want to hear the complete information session (the show will only re-broadcast a portion of it), and access other storm related resources, please check out the Island Institute and find a link to “January 2024 Storms” on their home page. We are grateful to the Island Institute for sharing this important information with our listeners. Guest/s: Commissioner Pat Keliher, Maine Department of Marine Resources. Commissioner Heather Johnson, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Kim Hamilton, Director of the Island Institute. Anne Fuchs, Director, Mitigation, Planning and Recovery, Maine Emergency Management Agency. About the hosts: Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio. Catherine Devine is the recipient of the 2023-2024 Cathy and JIm Gero Acadia Early Career Fellowship in Science Communication at Schoodic Institute. She is the producer of season 2 of Schoodic’s Sea to Trees podcast and a graduate of New York University.
