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Scarbarough
Frontal Dune Errosion
April of 2007
Climate change is here
and requires communities to consider planning ahead for significant changes in delineation of floodplain boundaries for the
future. Studies by Maine Geological Survey are finding steadily erroding coastal beaches and dune areas in southern Maine. In addition increased sea levels have been documented of the last hundred years. A large and diverse group of scientists are preparing a comprehensive
proposal for an in depth study of the effects of climate change and sea level rise on
the floodplains of riverbasins and coastal areas in communities of southern Maine and New
Hampshire. Over thirty professionals representing academia, state and
local government and emergency management agencies met at the
University of New Hampshire in June to review a White Paper for "Developing 100 Year Flood Risk Assessments" and listen to presentations showing
increased flood risk based on existing climate change and rising sea
level statistics along the new England coast. |
Remember This?
Route 120 Andover after spring floods in 2005
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Federal Agencies Collaborate to Assist Maine's Geo-Library Board
Dan Walters of the USGS hosted a federal agency
teleconference to gather input from federal agencies to the GIS Strategic Plan
being developed by the Maine Geo-Library Board. The conference included a brief
overview of the 50 States Initiative Project, a summary of results form the Geo-Library Boards
on-line survey and user forums followed by a sharing of information regarding scheduled and potential projects from each of the federal agency representatives. Each representative presented a summary of projects in Maine requiring geo-spatial data and
services and discussed ideas for improved coordination. This sharing of information resulted in identification of possible areas of co-operation.
Information gathered at this session will be used by the Geo-library Board to
plan for maximizing its limited resources through leaveraging state and federal resources. The Board's consultant will follow-up
with agencies to gather project details as needed for the strategic plan. The call was well recieved by the agencies involved and plans are being made to continue similar conferences on a regular basis.
Agencies participating in the meeting included the National Geo-spatial Intelligence
Agency, Department of Homeland Security, US Fish & Wildlife, Penobscot
Nation, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Environmental Protection Agency,
National Park Service, Farm Service Agency (NAIP), Army Corps of Engineers,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the Wells National Estuarine Reserve.
For more information on state and national strategic planning efforts contact Dan Walters at 207.622.8201 ext 128 or by e-mail.
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Sea levels Rising
An international team of researchers, including Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory climate scientist Peter Gleckler, compared climate
models with improved observations that show sea levels rose by 1.5
millimeters per year in the period from 1961-2003. That equates to an
approximately 2½-inch increase in ocean levels in a 42-year span. You can review their findings here.
Research by Cameron Wake has shown that in New England sea levels have risen more than a foot in the last 150 years due to a combination of sea level rising and coastal subsidence.
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Sea level as measured at New York City, NY (from 1856, in red) and Boston, MA(from 1922, in blue) through 2000 in inches. The 1856 sea level was set to zero to illustrate the amount of increase over the past 150 years. Sea level has been increasing in the Northeast since it was recorded, due to natural phenomenon and perhaps human influence on climate. Human induced warming threatens to accelerate the rising sea level. Data from Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level, United Kingdom, http://www.pol.ac.uk/psmsl/
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Floodplain Management
How do I know if an application meets the definition of "substantial improvement'?
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of
restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or
exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the
damage occurred. All structures that are determined to be substantially
damaged are automatically considered to be substantial improvements,
regardless of the actual repair work performed. If the cost necessary
to fully repair the structure to its before damage condition is equal
to or greater than 50% of the structure's market value before damages,
then the structure must be elevated (or flood proofed if it is
non-residential) to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), and meet
other applicable NFIP requirements.
For more information useful to your management of floodplain development checkout this web site.
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SPO Program Assists in Disaster Relief
The Maine Commission for Community Service builds capacity and sustainability in Maine's volunteer sector by targeting more than 1 million annually at community programs to address the states most critical needs. Through the joint efforts of, the Maine VISTA project, Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), Catholic Charities, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), a VISTA was deployed to the area.
For the whole story on how VISTA volunteers provided key services in the recovery operations click on the AmeriCorps Logo above.
"This is a good example of how government and community partners come together to meet a local need," said Crofton. Northern Maine Community College also lent a helping hand, "...we have been most pleased to... help by recently offering housing to a VISTA Volunteer who assisted with recovery efforts," said Jason Parent, NMCC director of development and college relations and Maine Commission for Community Service commissioner.
For more information on the program you can contact Rochelle Runge at 207.287.8933 or by e-mail.
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Food Distribution for Disaster Relief
Catholic Charities volunteers loading one of many trucks with food destined for those effected by the in flooding Aroostook County.
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Quote of the Day
"Generally speaking, you aren't learning much
when your lips are moving"
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Newsletter Funding
This newsletter is funded with a grant provided by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
EMB-2007-CA-0874
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