SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A public insurance program that would protect Mainers when severe storm damage hits is a new idea being explored by the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission.
"We have to wait for the federal government or the state to come up with some money to fix these things," Charles Colgan, one of the commission's representatives, said.
Colgan is a retired professor of public policy at the University of Southern Maine, and he said waiting for funds that may or may not be available is a problem communities shouldn't have when trying to repair public areas damaged from flooding.
"It'd be better if we could have an insurance policy like we do for our cars or our houses," he said.
Public flood insurance that covers public infrastructure is an idea Colgan presented to his colleagues when the commission met on Sept. 4.
The insurance Colgan is recommending would cover damage in areas ranging all the way from roads and bridges to public parks. Even fishing wharfs that serve a public interest could be included.
However, Colgan's counterparts noted during the meeting that the lack of insurance is more than just a problem for municipal governments.
"I guess the bottom line is most properties in Maine are not covered for flooding or water damage," Bob Carey, superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance, said.
"One of our big challenges on the taskforce is to not only to fix the public infrastructure problem but to get more and more people in the private sector to take up flood insurance," Colgan said.
He said he prioritized the public sector because they have no insurance options. Insurance for individual home and business owners is something committee members are open to discussing.
"This is all about what's available at what cost and where do you need to fill the gaps. So, it's going to be an 'all, and' approach not a 'one or' approach," Dan Tishman, who co-chairs the commission, said.
Colgan said his proposal is very much in the early stages and could take a while to get up and running, but he believes it's much stronger than the current system we've been relying on.
"The state was very lucky this year to have a very robust budget and be able to fund a lot of the recovery at the local level, but if there's a recession and revenues are dropping at the state level, the state's not going to be able to be nearly as generous as they were this year," he said.