AUGUSTA (AP) – The Legislature’s homeland security task force has released an interim report calling for new measures to bolster Maine’s emergency preparedness.

Recommendations include better communications and more emergency shelters with generators.

One task force leader sought to be reassuring.

“Maine is going to be protected,” said Rep. Stanley Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, co-chairman of the Task Force to Study Maine’s Homeland Security Needs. “Everybody in the state of Maine looks out for everybody in the state of Maine.”

The task force also urges an educational campaign.

“There is a personal responsibility piece,” said Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, the panel’s other co-chairman. “Local folks need to take responsibility for what’s going on with food, water and batteries they need to take care of themselves and their families.” A final report is expected in November.

Upcoming focus areas are likely to include the Maine National Guard and the state’s public health system, as well as the role of volunteers in emergency preparedness.

Gov. John Baldacci said a small state with relatively few targets for terrorists still needs to be prepared. “An attack on rural America could be devastating,” he said.

The interim report proposed that statutory qualifications for a director of the Maine Emergency management Agency include education, training, or experience in emergency management.

Additionally, the report said at least six public safety radio frequencies should be secured for use as statewide disaster channels.

“We learned about our vulnerabilities, particularly in communication, and the methods we can use to remedy them. The goal now is to take those suggestions and anecdotes, and apply them toward a comprehensive statewide plan that will guarantee Maine is ready to respond to any threat, under any circumstances,” Gerzofsky said in a statement Tuesday.

Said Strimling: “Maine is well prepared to handle our homeland security challenges. That said, we discovered that we have a number of gaps that must be filled.”

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Information from: Kennebec Journal, http://www.kjonline.com/

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