Kittery storm damage costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and counting: What's next

Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

KITTERY, Maine — Damage to Fort Foster and Pepperrell Cove caused by the back-to-back storms and flooding events in January could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, according to the town's initial cost estimates.

The Jan. 10 and Jan. 13 storms that brought flooding to the Seacoast and southern Maine region pummeled the Fort Foster pathways and pier, as well as the riprap beneath the Pepperrell Cove parking lot and its commercial fishing pier.

During low tide, a view of the underneath of the pier at Fort Foster can be seen. The recent back to back storms that hit the Seacoast damaged a number of nautical structures in Kittery.
During low tide, a view of the underneath of the pier at Fort Foster can be seen. The recent back to back storms that hit the Seacoast damaged a number of nautical structures in Kittery.

At Fort Foster, early cost estimates for the damage to the pier, which was shifted off its structural holdings, range between $400,000 and $500,000, while the Pepperrell Cove damage may cost between $100,000 and $250,000, according to Town Manager Kendra Amaral.

Those figures could change as the town continues to evaluate the destruction.

“We need engineered assessments to get more concrete cost estimates tied to very specific scopes of repair work,” Amaral said.

Kittery, Maine, town docks at Pepperrell Cove at Kittery Point, seen Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, were damaged by the recent back to back storms earlier in the month.
Kittery, Maine, town docks at Pepperrell Cove at Kittery Point, seen Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, were damaged by the recent back to back storms earlier in the month.

The town does not yet have cost projections for resetting the paths at Fort Foster, she added.

The town manager said residents and business owners, along with town staff, will continue to learn from the recent storms and look into “fortifying those barriers to storm surge.”

“The other thing I think that came out of this is that these ‘storms of the century’ are happening much more rapidly, much more frequently,” Amaral said. “What we have planned for in terms of 100-year emergencies, we need to start thinking about the fact that they happen more than every 100 years. The resiliency has to really be resilient and be able to withstand those storms multiple times.”

The York County Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have begun touring private property damage in Kittery.

The costs of damage to private property and businesses in town have not been finalized.

“We have a lot of residents and businesses who experienced flooding, seawall erosion, loss of piers and docks, loss of equipment,” Amaral said.

The Town Council adopted 29 town climate action plan strategies in December that were formed by the Kittery Climate Action Task Force. Some of the strategies included preserving and revitalizing working waterfronts, advising residents of health effects from climate and extreme weather events, updating evacuation routes for current and future flood risk areas and protecting water-related infrastructure.

Town docks at Pepperrell Cove at Kittery Point were damaged in recent storms. Docks that are usually in the water have been lifted out onto the parking lot, as seen Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.
Town docks at Pepperrell Cove at Kittery Point were damaged in recent storms. Docks that are usually in the water have been lifted out onto the parking lot, as seen Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.

Representatives from FEMA met in New Hampshire in nearby Hampton and Rye with local officials on Tuesday to tour storm damage sites as the state works to identify the total cost.

More: FEMA tours storm damage at Hampton Beach, Rye. Will funds follow?

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery ME coastal storm, flood damage cost estimates rising