Fewer Worries

Public safety complements environmental safety thanks in part to the concentration of law enforcement (US Customs and Border Patrol, game wardens, sheriff’s department, state police, municipal police) commissioned to secure miles of shared border with Canada and Northern Maine’s vast geography. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Data, Maine continues to be the safest state in the nation, with 103 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 people in 2022. Fort Fairfield Police Chief Matthew Cummings says, “Our clearance rate has gone up to the point where last year we were able to solve or clear 77.98% of all of the crimes that were reported to the Fort Fairfield Police Department,” says Chief Cummings. “I commend our officers for working hard and working diligently on this as the statewide clearance rate is about 42%.”

Breathe Easy

The overall climate and location of Aroostook keep the region safe from extreme weather events and protected from the effects of climate change. ClimateCheck Risk Ratings measure the risk posed by a hazard on a 1-100 scale, using historical conditions and projected scenarios through 2050. These were their recent findings:

Maine ranks #47 for fire risk.

Maine ranks #44 for drought risk.

Maine ranks #43 for heat risk.

Maine ranks #15 for flood risk.

Among Maine cities, Aroostook County remains in the lead for low risk.

• For heat, Presque Isle has the lowest risk and Bath has the highest risk.
• For precipitation, Presque Isle has the lowest risk and Bangor has the highest risk.
• For drought, Bangor has the lowest risk and Portland has the highest risk.
• For fire, Portland has the lowest risk and Ellsworth has the highest risk.
• For flood, Portland has the lowest risk and Bath has the highest risk.

Using data from the US Census Bureau, and the National Centers for Environmental Information, a study was conducted to determine the state with the highest number of climate disasters, and the highest loss amount from climate disasters. Using metrics of the number of climate disasters causing at least $1 billion in damage since 1980, as well as the loss amount per capita of those disasters, Maine ranked 50! Meaning, we are the safest state when it comes to loss from climate disasters from 1980-2023.