I'm a genealogist and do other kinds of research for a variety of reasons. I was in Augusta searching for births yesterday, and my search took me to the office building that contains Maine's vital records.

The weather -- it was raining torrents. So where did I find the Vital Records building? On Water Street, in Augusta, right on the banks of the Kennebec. The records were on the first floor.

I asked the person in the front office, and she said they'd been in that location for four years. So that means whoever decided to move the records to a flood zone was a member of the present administration.

The number of original records contained in that building exceeds five million. So what happens if the water reaches the building? We've been facing flood-stages in our rivers in the past few days.

The records are contained in huge metal file cabinets, and it would take an army of men to move the records in more time than would be allowed in a flood.

So genealogists unite! Put pressure on the present administration and get the vital records off Water Street in Augusta. If Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Maine Department of Labor can have shiny new buildings up on Route 27 north of Augusta, then why can't the Vital Records be moved to a higher and drier spot? These records are Maine's history!

Nancy Porter

Farmington