GEORGETOWN

Storms of the century, according to some, have evolved with climate change into storms of the decade.

Coastal communities are beginning to prepare themselves for the consequences of these “events,” and this island community might be at the forefront: It was one of five in the state selected for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant to help prepare for the impact of climate change.

Residents can learn more about how the Georgetown Conservation Commission and other town officials are thinking on Tuesday night, during a symposium titled “The Impact of Changing Sea Level & Storms in Georgetown,” 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Historical Society.

John Hagan, a member of the Conservation Commission, said the commission has worked with Maine Coastal Program, a division of the Bureau of Geology, Natural Areas and Coastal Resources, to identify areas of concern in town. Modeling and terrain data specific to Georgetown are identified.

“They can say, if this happens, this is where you would have flooding problems,” said Hagan, a scientist and president of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.  “This is good to know. This is the type of thing you would like to get a handle on before it happens.”

The Georgetown Historical Society invites people to come and share their stories and their observations on the subject.

Hagan said that Georgetown received the NOAA grant about a year ago, and began working with Elizabeth Hertz, who provides municipal planning assistance for the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The grant process, Hagan said, was selective.
“In Georgetown, we were organized enough,” he said. “We were all very interested in working with them.”

The Conservation Commission made an initial climate change presentation last March at Georgetown Central School, and drew what Hagan considered to be a decent turnout of about 50 people. The commission provided basic information on sea level rise, and roads in town that might be vulnerable to flooding.

“There are probably 20 spots in Georgetown that are vulnerable to flooding if we had a big enough storm,” Hagan said.

The commission decided to write a vulnerability assessment regarding the town’s climate change and weather, and make it available to the town. The commission identified priorities:
— Roads and infrastructure.
— Water supply.
— Private property.
— Public property, including the town wharf.
— Historical and archaeological assets.
— Recreational assets, such as Reid State Park.
— Fisheries, and the economy.

“We’ve broken it down into manageable bites,” Hagan said.

The task, however, is just beginning. The commission will compile the vulnerability report, complete with recommendations, by next March.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Hagan said.

On Tuesday night, town officials are invited to share their perspectives. Don Wilson, longtime former road commissioner who knows the town’s infrastructure as well as anyone, will speak.

“Rather than just lecturing the town,” Hagan said, “we’re asking the town leaders to participate. We want a user-friendly report that covers the nine categories. We’ll talk with them about what they think we can actually implement on the ground. There are lots of grants available, especially if they know we have done our homework.”

As an example of a pro-active stand on sea level rise, Hagan said that large-diameter culverts could be installed, to withstand the effects of big storms.

“Some things are going to be low-lying fruit,” he said. “Other things will take more money. Mainly, we need the buy-in from the town. This is not just an environmental issue. This is an economic issue.”

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