Somerset, MD Resilience Network

A waning crescent moon hangs over the Chesapeake Bay just before sunrise in North Beach, Md.  Twenty one states are challenging the Obama administration's plan to clean up the bay.  (Ray K. Saunders / The Washington Post)

washingtonpost.com - by Darryl Fears - February 5, 2014

Attorneys general in 21 states are backing an attempt to derail the Obama administration’s Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, fearing that the government will use that authority to regulate wastewater in other watersheds, including the Mississippi River Basin.

submitted by Gina Angiola

climatechangecommunication.org

This report present findings from a survey mailed to over 2,000 adults about public perceptions and policy preferences regarding the health implications of energy choices and climate change in Maryland. The report can be downloaded here (44 page .PDF report):
Public health, energy and climate change: A survey of Maryland residents, summer 2013.

Akerlof, K., Maibach, E. W., & Mitchell, C. S. (2013). Public health, energy and climate change: A survey of Maryland residents, summer 2013. Fairfax, VA: Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University; Baltimore, MD: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Submitted to HUD on June 10, 2013......

...Based on damage assessments conducted by the Federal government and the declaration that Somerset County was eligible for Individual Assistance, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) was allocated $8,640,000 to undertake recovery efforts in the County under the first tranche of funding.

In order to receive this funding, the State is required to submit an Action Plan which is an Amendment to the State’s Consoldiated Plan. The Consolidated Plan is a five-year planning document required by HUD that sets out overall State wide goals and priorities for housing, community development, and economic development activities. Special emphasis is given under the Plan to provide assistance for extremely low, low, and moderate income persons. A substantial amendment is made to the Consolidated Plan when certain conditions are met, including the award of disaster relief funding.

Based on consultation with local government officials in Somerset County, the highly impacted municipality of Crisfield and other local stakeholders, the State has decided to do, as HUD allows, a Partial Action Plan, which will allocate $4.4 million of the $8.6 million at this time......

June 26, 2013 6:40 PM

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)—It’s coming and Maryland better get ready. That’s the thrust of a scientific report on sea level rise commissioned by Governor Martin O’Malley.

Alex DeMetrick reports what began in the 20th century is speeding up in the 21st.

When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, storm surge produced destructive flooding, especially in Crisfield.

“My building took a big beating. It’s the worst I’ve seen,” said one Crisfield man.

“Clearly, Crisfield took it the hardest in terms of sea level rise and the tidal surge,” said Governor Martin O’Malley.

And a sea level study is what Governor O’Malley commissioned after Sandy. The finding: more rising water along Maryland’s 3,000 miles of coastline....

FULL ARTICLE WITH VIDEO CLIP HERE