Hannaford has hired Gulf of Maine Research Institute to conduct a vulnerability assessment at its stores in Mill Creek and Forest Avenue in Portland. Behind the Mill Creek Hannaford, seagulls circle a cove nestled against a loading dock that delivery trucks can’t always reach during storms. While the nonprofit has long helped coastal towns plan for rising seas, this marks its first one-on-one climate vulnerability assessment with a major corporate partner. The goal is to use the vulnerability data to build a climate plan for Hannaford’s total footprint across the Northeast. The assessment aligns with the state climate plan, Maine Won’t Wait, which advises coastal communities to gird for 1.5 feet of sea level rise by 2050 and 4 feet by 2100.