Rebuilding from last winter’s storms and ensuring our communities are prepared for severe weather worsened by climate change is one of my and the Legislature’s top priorities this year. LD 1, “An Act to Increase Storm Preparedness for Maine’s Communities, Homes and Infrastructure,” will do just that.

LD 1 has the potential to be transformative for Senate District 29 and all of Maine’s coast. This bill focuses specifically on future-oriented strategies to make our communities more resilient to storms and flooding, building on storm relief and rebuilding measures enacted by the Legislature last year. It also invests in projects to fortify homes in the face of future natural disasters.

What are these programs, and how would they affect you? The first is the establishment of the Home Resiliency Program, which would provide grants of up to $15,000 that homeowners could use for projects to help their homes better withstand severe weather. This will save homeowners and our community money in the future by reducing vulnerabilities and damages.

This part of the bill is one of my favorites because it advances another solution to Maine’s housing crisis: restoring and strengthening homes at risk of becoming uninhabitable or in need of weatherization repairs that go beyond the scope of existing MaineHousing programs. This will help keep Mainers housed in their existing homes and avoid pressure on the housing supply without the cost or time required for new construction.

LD 1 would also create the State Resilience Office in the new Maine Office of Community Affairs. This office would work to support flood and storm damage prevention through assistance with the planning and implementation of resilience projects, helping our communities understand how they can best prepare for increasingly severe storms caused by climate change.

Additionally, this legislation includes investments in the state’s emergency communications system and the State Disaster Recovery Fund. These investments will provide much-needed funding for projects that protect and rebuild our communities before and after severe weather events, as well as ensure our state is able to get in touch with people who are in danger as quickly as possible in an emergency.

One of the other things I like about this bill is that it will not cost you any money. These programs are entirely funded through federal funds and fee-based funding from the Maine Bureau of Insurance. We have the opportunity to make a generational investment in resilience for our communities, homes, and infrastructure, all without needing to generate new revenue.

You will soon have a chance to make your voice heard on LD 1. The bipartisan bill will receive a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. in the Housing and Economic Development Committee, where you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts on its proposals. I encourage you to testify in person, on Zoom, or through written testimony to tell lawmakers why it’s important to invest in resilience for our communities.

For more information about how to testify, visit mainesenate.org/testify.

Anne Carney represents Maine Senate District 29, which consists of Cape Elizabeth, South Portland and part of Scarborough. She can be reached at 207-287-1515 or Anne.Carney@legislature.maine.gov.