WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $160,000 to the Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission (SMPDC). The funding will support SMPDC’s development of an economic resiliency strategy to mitigate the effects of recent and future natural disasters in York County.

“Natural disasters have the potential to disrupt the way of life in Southern Maine communities, many of which rely heavily on the tourism industry to fuel their local economies,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “We welcome this investment in the communities in Southern Maine, which will help municipalities develop plans to be prepared as possible in the event of a flood or other natural disaster.”

“The six town coastal region that will benefit from this grant accounts for a substantial amount of southern Maine’s and the state’s tourism activity and tourism revenue,” said Paul Schumacher, Executive Director, SMPDC. “Mitigating impacts from ever increasing coastal storm events and creating a sustainable tourism industry is critical as we get ready for this in the future.”

SMPDC was developed in 1964, and is a non-profit organization that supports 39 member municipalities in the Southern Maine region. Their areas of expertise include economic and community development, transportation, land use planning, and water quality.