PORTLAND, Maine — After a second January storm hammered the coast of Maine, Ford Reiche and Bob Trapani set out to see for themselves the damage inflicted on about two dozen of Maine’s historic lighthouses. One doesn’t just hop in a car or even a boat for this type of inspection. They needed a helicopter to get to remote islands and ledges.
What they found was worse than they expected, especially in the smaller buildings near the actual lighthouses.
“We anticipated that we’d see some damage," Reiche said. "But there are buildings that are in some cases moved off their foundations, a couple of cases where buildings are gone — windows punched out, doors punched out. It’s really extensive damage.”
Some of these lighthouses are owned by individuals — Reiche, for instance, owns Halfway Rock Light off Harpswell —but more belong to small nonprofits that were created solely to maintain and preserve them. Repairing major storm damage is not something these groups have the budgets to handle.
They “can pay for the painting or small projects,” Trapani, who is the executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation in Rockland, said. “But with sudden catastrophic damage? No. There’s just no way.”
Most of the lighthouses aren’t insured for wind and water damage, and it’s not at all clear who might come forward to help pay for repairs. Trapani said it’s important for Mainers to work with, and support lighthouse preservation organizations, but also to tell the state and federal governments that they need to step up. After all, these structures, with their unmatched history and charm, are irreplaceable.
“There are lighthouses all over America,” Reiche noted. “But Maine has the varsity team.”