by Joseph Young Maine Floodplain Management Program
Digital Map The Maine Office of GIS, in cooperation with USGS, the State Planning
Office, Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine GeoLibrary Board,
and UNH, have developed a proposal for stimulus funding to collect
LiDAR data for all coastal counties in New England. LiDAR (light
detection and ranging) is a highly-precise method of measuring
topography, using a laser emitted from an airborne sensor which pulses
at various intervals and produces highly accurate elevation contour
lines and digital elevation models. For example, Maine currently uses
contour lines in intervals of 20 feet, with a vertical accuracy of +/-
10 feet, for floodplain mapping. LiDAR can produce contours that
measure elevation in one-foot increments with vertical accuracy of +/-
15cm. The proposal is currently being circulated to GIS contacts
throughout the region and is receiving wide support. A two page draft proposal is available on the MeGIS website.
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Remember This?
You don't have to be a grey beard to 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 No one identified this location last month.
Home Damaged by Severe Beach Erosion During 2007 April Storms
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$200,000/Year
Joe Young, Maine Floodplain Mapping Program Since December of 2005 over 800 LOMA applications have been submitted to FEMA from Maine property owners. Of that number 722 were completed, 53 were suspended, 1 was with drawn and the rest were still in process at the end of 2008. To estimate costs for these applications we solicited estimates from area surveyors. The estimated costs ranged from as little as four hundred dollars to as much as a thousand dollars depending upon how difficult the work would be. If we use a low estimate of $500 for submitting a LOMA application the total cost to Maine residents for proving they are not in a FEMA mapped floodplain is nearly $200,000 per year. Thousands of dollars were spent in every County of Maine for these services. In last months issue Sue Baker, Maine National Flood Insurance Program coordinator noted that the average cost of a flood insurance policy in Maine was $775 and that in January there were 8,944 policies in force. We also know that on a national level approximately 25% of the disaster claims are from people who are not mapped in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard area. If we also assume that 25% of the policies in force are on properties that are improperly mapped in a flood hazard area we could estimate that as many as 2,236 polices are written in error and property owners may be paying as much as $1,732,900 for over insurance. |
Measuring Snow with a Bucket, a Windmill, and the Sun? The Government Goes Off the Power Grid in Maine
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
Here in Maine, government scientists have figured out how to measure
snowfall in remote areas with a bucket, a small windmill, and the sun -
all the while saving money, energy, and, ultimately helping to save
lives.
What led to this energy-efficient ingenuity was the need to help the
National Weather Service forecast and predict the risk of floods from
spring snowmelt.
The problem was this: While the USGS has about 15 snowmelt
measurement sites in Maine, they also needed a way to measure snowfall
in remote areas where power grids are scarce. Emergency managers need
accurate information to prepare for forthcoming hazards and energy
companies need to plan ahead for how much water to expect in reservoirs. To read the rest of the story got to USGS news room, or contact Bob Lent or Gregory Stewart.
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Cumberland and York County Preliminary Maps Scheduled for Release
Joseph Young, Mapping Coordinator Preliminary digital flood rate maps (DFIRMS) for Cumberland County are scheduled for release early in May. The York County maps should be close behind scheduled for late in May or early June. This will mark a new phase in the mapping process for these counties. Community meetings are being scheduled for June 22nd and 23rd. Local officials will be able to meet with Contractor, FEMA and State representatives to review the maps and discuss the process for appealing floodplain delineations and protesting errors on the maps. These meetings will also cover the process and time line for adopting the final maps. To facilitate in this effort FEMA has compiled a library of brochures and posters that can be customized by community officials to assist in providing information on the remapping process to the public. These templates can be reviewed at FEMA's Website. If you have any questions regarding the process please contact Joseph Young. Or Call 287-8051
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Maine Partners in
Emergency Preparedness Conference
Dwane A. Hubert Maine Emergency Management Agency Time is
running out to register for the 1st Annual Maine Partners in Emergency
Preparedness Conference to be held at the
Augusta
Civic Center from April 30th - May
1st, 2009. With one week remaining we have almost
250 participants and 30 exhibitors on hand to kick off a
great conference. I'd also like to draw your attention to our keynote speaker,
Mr. James Lee Witt, current CEO of James Lee Witt Associates and former Director
of FEMA. You don't want to miss this one.
To see
what else is on the schedule and to register for the conference, please visit
our website at www.maineprepares.com. While there,
you'll also see a description of each of the break-out sessions and a
registration form if you would like to be one of our exhibitors. We look
forward to seeing you so don't delay.
For more information contact Dwane A. Hubert or Robert S. Gardner at 624-4400
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National Flood Insurance Training for Insurance Agents
by Joe Young Mapping Coordinator Maine Floodplain Management Program
FEMA is happy to announce the availability of the NFIP Basic Agent Tutorial online training. Insurance agents can now access this course from the NFIP training web page. Registration instructions are also provided on the training website. Enhancements to the training system include user-friendly navigation and a personal page allowing students to track their training progress. The NFIP Basic Agent Tutorial qualifies for continuing education credits in most States. A listing of training requirements by State is located at this web site. On the NFIP training web page, insurance agents, lenders, and claims adjusters can also find a schedule of instructor-led workshops offered in locations across the country. They can register online for these workshops through the training web page.
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Quote of the Day
"If you don't ask, you don't get.
." Anonymous
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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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