R-NERR14-2 A Comparative Assessment of Approaches to Employing Public Funding to Vulnerable Coastal Properties (Regional Project)

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Porter Hoagland, Di Jin, and Hauke Kite-Powell
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

John Duff
University of Massachusetts-Boston

Investigators will examine various legal and fiscal/economic mechanisms employed by coastal communities in the Northeast to formulate and carry out disaster response and mitigation programs. Local responses to flooding and erosion, such as beach nourishment and armoring, will be evaluated for effectiveness, expense, and impacts on surrounding communities. Zoning and other local regulatory authority will be considered, along with evaluations of alternative policies, such as build-backs or buy-outs. Condemnation (eminent domain) principles as well as evolving inverse condemnation (takings) jurisprudence will be assessed. The research team will develop simple models to examine the net benefits of response strategies (e.g., retreat via buy-outs, retreat via zoning changes, shoreline protection). Results will be disseminated through professional journals, web-accessible reports, outreach to local media, and public speaking engagements.

Link to MIT Sea Grant for more information.