USGS is Allocated 12 Million for LiDAR Acquisition
Joseph Young
Maine Floodplain Management Program
Digital Map As part of the stimulus package the USGS has been awarded 12 million dollars to acquire LiDAR data primarily along the nations coastal areas. As this is being written the details of how the funding will be allocated is uncertain. It is quite clear that the agency will be looking for partners to maximize the amount of area covered. The deadline for allocating the stimulus funds is September of this year.
If Maine is going to be able to take advantage of this program and leverage other funding sources it is critical that the state come up with funds to use as match. The Maine Geo-Library board has requested bond funds to use for such an effort. Hopefully that request will receive enough support to make it into the states bond request in the next referendum to go before Maine voters.
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Remember This?
Do we have any grey beards who can identify this location?
This should be a challenge!
We will publish the location in our next newsletter along with the names of anyone who can identify it.If you have any flooding pictures you would like to contribute to our archives please send them along either by e-mail or regular parcel post to:
Joseph Young
Maine State Planning Office
184 State St.
38 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0038.
We can scan the images and return your originals. |
Last Months Picture
I made the mistake of putting in a description in the background last month so I guess everyone new that it was taken at Sheepscot Village during a flood in the early 1900's.
T
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Buy Flood Insurance Now!!
Sue Baker
NFIP Coordinator
Maine Floodplain Management Program
Flooding is always a threat to properties located within a floodplain, but even more so during winter's river ice and spring rains. Many people believe that their homeowner's or business owner's insurance policy will cover any flood related losses but unfortunately, these insurance policies DO NOT cover flood related damages. In order to receive insurance protection related to flood damage, property owners and renters are urged to purchase flood insurance. For more details on the policies available, contact your insurance agent. There is a 30-day waiting period, before the policy goes into effect.
March and April are historically when flooding occurs in Maine, but heavy rains can cause flooding any time of the year. If you are worried about potential flooding, don't wait to buy flood insurance. If you don't do it now, you may be left without any flood coverage when you need it most. It is estimated that up to 75% of homes and businesses in floodplains in Maine are NOT covered by flood insurance. There are 8,944 flood insurance policies in effect in Maine as of the end of January, 2009. Maine's flood insurance policy base averages about 3-4% annual growth. Increases are likely due to increased flood insurance awareness from major flooding events in the news around the country and increased agent and lender training. There is over $1.7 billion in flood coverage in Maine. The average annual premium is $775. As long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, you can buy flood insurance no matter where you live.
To find an agent visit the Flood Smart website. You will also find a wealth of information to help you with flooding issues and information.
Additional assistance is available through the Maine Floodplain Management Program at the State Planning Office by calling 287-3261 or 1-800-662-4545 (in state only).
Flood Insurance - It beats the alternative!
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FEMA ISSUES NEW FLOOD MAPPING GUIDANCE For Coastal Communities
In December 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released two new pieces of flood hazard mapping guidance that mapping partners and other stakeholders should be aware of. To better communicate risk and guide safer development in coastal areas, FEMA released Procedure Memorandum No. 50 (PM 50) - Policy and Procedures for Identifying and Mapping Areas Subject to Wave Heights Greater than 1.5 feet as an Informational Layer on FIRMs. Also, FEMA issued an update to Procedure Memorandum No. 42 (PM 42) - Quality Control Requirements in the DFIRM Process, that will better facilitate the quality review timelines required by PM 42. Issued December 3, 2008, PM 50 changes the mapping requirements for coastal studies. As stated in PM 50, "For all new detailed coastal study starts in Fiscal Year 2009, the landward limit of waves 1.5 feet in height will be delineated on the FIRMs and included in the DFIRM database as an informational layer with no NFIP floodplain management requirements or special insurance ratings. Communities are encouraged, but not required, to adopt higher standards than the minimum NFIP requirements in these areas." The NFIP Community Rating System provides credits for communities that adopt and enforce more stringent floodplain management requirements in these areas because it has been shown that typical AE Zone construction techniques are subject to damage when exposed to waves as small as 1.5 feet in height. FEMA Regional Offices, in coordination with State and local officials will benefit from the delineation of the landward limit of waves 1.5 feet in height as an informational layer on the FIRM. PM 50 went into effect on the date it was issued. On December 1, 2008, FEMA issued an update to PM 42 that requires mapping partners to submit the Letter of Final Determination and the Map Service Center (MSC) deliverables package for review at the same time as the final DFIRM database and georeferenced map panels are submitted to FEMA for review. In addition, PM 42 incorporated other changes based on feedback from the mapping partners and Regional Management Centers. Some examples of these added benefits are: negatives are no longer required until the study passes certain quality reviews; and the visual review of the DFIRM database and the review of the MSC deliverables package take place at the same time therefore streamlining the review and correction process. These updates will improve the delivery of updated flood hazard maps to communities for adoption in a timely manner. These changes became effective January 1, 2009. Additional information on PM 50 and PM 42 can be located on FEMA's Web site.
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State Planning Office Delivers Special Report On Interagency Cooperation for Floodplain Mapping
Staff from over a dozen agencies cooperated in producing a special report to the Joint Natural Resources Committee discussing the importance of high resolution topography. The report details how topographic data is used in each agency, why more accurate data is needed and explains the benefits that accrue to many varied sectors of Maine's economy.
To view a complete copy of the report you can visit the State Planning Office website or contact Joseph Young at 207.287.8051.
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Determining Substantial Damage and Improvement Workshop
Date March 18, 2009
Location: NH Local Government Center, 25 Triangle Park, Concord, NH
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) will be holding a free training workshop for local community officials who are interested in learning more about how to determine substantial damage and improvement. The determination of substantial damage and improvement of a structure in a special flood hazard area is a key responsibility of a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Following the recent flood and tornado disasters, many community officials were tasked with this responsibility for the first time.
The purpose of this training workshop will be to give guidance on what information and data is needed to make a determination, discuss the community official's and property owner's role in the determination, demonstrate FEMA's Residential Substantial Damage Estimator, offer tips on establishing community procedures, discuss the determination's implications on flood insurance, and conduct in-class exercises of how to determine substantial improvement and damage.
If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Gilbert, NH Office of Energy and Planning by phone (603-271-1762) or by email.
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Webinars
by Joe Young
Mapping Coordinator
Maine Floodplain Management Program
If you are interested in background information explaining digital elevation models, what they are, how they are developed and how they are used, Intermap Technologies is offering Webinars for Geospatial professionals you can sign up for them at the Intermap website.
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Quote of the Day
"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." Benjamin Mays
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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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