Johnson speaks to Maine Monitor about inequity in storm preparedness
Tora Johnson, who chairs the Division of Environmental and Biological Sciences at the University of Maine at Machias, spoke with The Maine Monitor about addressing equity issues in storm preparedness as climate change intensifies storms and flooding. Johnson, also director of the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory and Service Center and associate professor of GIS at UMM, was featured in a “Sea Change” commentary piece titled “Stormy forecast: Preparing Maine for climate-fueled winds and flooding.” She said aiding communities vulnerable to storms and lacking the resources to prepare for them requires social scientists aware of local constraints and capable of “spanning the distance between academia, technocrats and local decision-makers.” “Whether communities will grapple with what they need to has more to do with psychology, sociology and economics,” she added, and with practitioners who understand local constraints and provide customized support. The Penobscot Bay Pilot shared The Maine Monitor story.