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“Flood.“ That was the subject line of an email our environmental reporter Emmett Gartner received back in February, from a reader who'd seen his piece on how the December floods exposed weaknesses in county notification systems.

She told him she lived in Norridgewock, and had been severely impacted by the storm — that it had been scary evacuating with her five pets, and she'd had to make the decision on her own, without any sort of official notification. 

For his latest story, Emmett went to Norridgewock to sit down with the woman, Susan Millett, and hear more about her harrowing escape in the icy waters, and how she has navigated the aftermath. 

“It has taken me months and months to get over,“ she told Emmett. “I really had a hard time accepting that this is the place where I live and it could happen again.”

Town officials are having this same realization, Emmett found, and taking steps to prepare for the next one. If you have thoughts on your own community's emergency preparedness, don't hesitate to get in touch.

— Stephanie

‘All emergencies are local until they’re not’: 

How one Maine town is prepping for its next disaster

On Dec. 19, 2023, Norridgewock Town Manager Richard LaBelle scrambled to get ahold of officials from the Maine Department of Transportation to determine whether he should shut off bridge access as the Kennebec River surged.

“‘Use your judgment.’ That was largely the response we got out of the DOT,” said Todd Pineo, now the fire department chief.

One obstacle after another reinforced to LaBelle and Pineo just how isolated and vulnerable Norridgewock is during extreme floods. It’s a position the two don’t want the town to be in again, so they are purchasing equipment and pursuing flood resilience projects — as well as making emergency plans with other officials across the county as they navigate the bureaucracy of state and federal assistance. 

“What we learned from December is that all emergencies are local until they're not,” Pineo said. “You have to be prepared as a town.”

Read this story & listen to the audio report — both by Emmett Gartner.

Farmington, Sanford lead state in solar development: While some communities in Maine have pushed back on solar, Sanford sees it as an “economic win.” Read this story by Alexa Livingston, co-published with the Sanford Springvale News.

How much are Maine’s private college and university presidents paid?: A look at recent compensation data for the highest-paid employees at private schools in the state. Read this story by George Harvey.

Fall in Maine is arriving later, getting warmer: Maine has seen above-normal temperatures in September almost every year since the late 1990s. Read this story by Annie Ropeik.

Monitor reporters earn NENPA awards for investigations: The Publick Occurrences award recognizes “the very best work that New England newspapers produce each year.” Read this story.

December floods expose weaknesses in county notification systems

Franklin County officials say they struggled to notify residents of road closures and other hazards in real time as floodwaters rose.

Read this story by Emmett Gartner. 

Know of a story that we should be digging into? Send it to our newsroom. 

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