We often say the Harpswell Anchor is your newspaper. We, the staff, are the stewards of the newspaper. But the newspaper belongs to the community.
The Anchor’s coverage of last week’s weather exemplifies this community ownership. You, the people of Harpswell, were covering the storms.
Several people have emailed or commented on Facebook with compliments on the Anchor’s coverage. My response: It’s not us. It’s you!
When I saw Potts Point resident Mike Dana’s video of the town dock rocking in the waves on Wednesday, my jaw dropped. When the second storm finished off the dock, literally thousands of people learned from Mike’s photo.
The dock might seem like a minor piece of town infrastructure, but to many it was a special place, and the Facebook comments on Mike’s photo make up a sort of eulogy. “Fifty-seven years ago, I caught my first fish off that dock with my grandfather,” one commenter said. “So many of my core memories from childhood and beyond are centered on this dock,” said another. And: “I sat there for hours listening to Jimmy Buffett on my headset. I’ll gladly contribute to a rebuild.”
I was stunned when I saw Mike’s video, and I was stunned again when I watched Nancy West’s video of Dingley Island bridge at high tide on Wednesday. It’s not the flooding that’s shocking; it’s the speed with which the tide overtakes the bridge.
Several times last week, I read comments calling the storms a reminder of nature’s power. You can feel that power in these videos.
Daniel Hoebeke, known for the calendars he creates for the Orr’s Island Library, captured the massive power of Saturday’s storm, including the destruction of a wharf and outbuilding at Sundrenched restaurant.
Photos and videos came from Anchor contributors and staff, as well as people I have never met. Pam Berry, Jeffrey Good, Danielle Moody, Erin O’Mara, and Janice Thompson all helped to build an important record of these historic storms.
My colleague J. Craig Anderson has been steadily filing dispatches with updates from town officials and resources for reporting damage. Freelance photographer Jessica Picard was on the ground Saturday, documenting the flooding at Lookout Point and community members spontaneously coming together to help their neighbors.
We, the staff, will continue to report on the aftermath of these storms and how the town plans to prepare for future storms of this magnitude. Most importantly, we will keep readers up to date about efforts toward cleanup and restoration, as many of our neighbors grapple with challenges and uncertainty.
But mostly it has been you, our readers, fueling coverage of the storm, keeping your neighbors — and people around the world who love Harpswell — up to date on a week for the ages.
So next time you hear us say the Anchor is your newspaper, you’ll know it’s not just a marketing slogan. The Anchor is a newspaper of, by and for the people of Harpswell.
J.W. Oliver, Editor, Harpswell Anchor
