Extreme weather events are wreaking havoc on lighthouses and the coastline. Shown here is wave-swept Whaleback Lighthouse, Kittery, Maine.
(Photo by Dominic Trapani)
In a matter of just a few harrowing hours, decades of hard work and dedication to preserving lighthouses can be wiped out. Our nation witnessed this fact at a number of Maine and New Hampshire lighthouses during back to back storms in January 2024. The devastation left behind was unprecedented, while further underscoring the urgent need for lighthouses to become more resilient from such battering.
Extreme weather events and a changing climate are adversely impacting our nation’s lighthouses. The situation is not going to go away. To the contrary, the well-being of lighthouses everywhere will be threatened further unless we act today to help mitigate dangers posed by climate change. Resiliency is the key to the long-term preservation and public enjoyment of our cherished lighthouses.
A view of Spring Point Ledge Light and Fort Preble in South Portland, Maine, during the January 13, 2024 storm.
(Photo by Dominic Trapani)
No longer is historic lighthouse preservation simply about reversing neglect, restoring elements and character-defining features lost to time or dealing with slow-moving erosion. Moving forward, it’s also about sudden disasters, emergency response, hazard mitigation and planning well beyond a scope ever required before to protect these vulnerable treasures that stand watch over oceans, bays and rivers.
Straightaway, lighthouses need broader resources, including more extensive technical guidance and committed financial support – most of which exceeds the ability of grassroots fundraising to adequately address.
“This is the future we need to prepare for locally and nationally,” says Ford Reiche, American Lighthouse Foundation Storm & Mitigation Committee member. “The Maine lighthouse experience of recovering from these storms, and how we prepare for similar events of increasing frequency in the future, may become a useful model nationwide.”
Big tides and rising sea levels are threatening coastal lighthouses. Shown here is the Rockland Breakwater under water during an astronomical high tide.
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
To this end, the American Lighthouse Foundation – a leader in the national lighthouse preservation community, has formed a Storm & Mitigation Response Team to create a series of best practices and additional resources for lighthouse stewards. “Our forthcoming action plan will provide valuable insights and trusted resources from experienced lighthouse managers to other groups carrying out the important work of combating storm damage and protecting our nation’s lighthouses,” says Nick Korstad, American Lighthouse Foundation President and Storm & Mitigation Committee member.
The Committee is comprised of accomplished lighthouse preservationists, as well as individuals with expertise in municipal mitigation / resiliency response, and a FEMA consultant with proficiency in disaster recovery on a national level. This team is committed to helping lighthouses and their caretakers – regardless of where they are located in the country, find tangible ways to be better prepared for extreme weather events in the future.
Ford Reiche concluded, “Our committee hopes to establish meaningful assessments of the nature of harms suffered, and some best practices for storm preparation. This work will be evolutionary, but it is starting now.”
American Lighthouse Foundation Storm & Mitigation Committee (Graphic by Ann-Marie Trapani)
“This is the future we need to prepare for locally and nationally. The Maine lighthouse experience of recovering from these storms, and how we prepare for similar events of increasing frequency in the future, may become a useful model nationwide.” – Ford Reiche, ALF Storm & Mitigation Response Team member.
Shown here is Portland Head Light during the January 13, 2024 storm. (Photo by Dominic Trapani)
