 | | Seawall failure in April 2007 storm. |
Cumberland and York Counties
By Joseph Young
Mapping Coordinator
From FEMA Press Release
The preliminary maps have been withdrawn and the appeals process stopped. FEMA Region 1 staff are working on a draft charter for the communities.
Kennebec County
The appeals period has closed and the contractor is currently completing QA/QC checks on the preliminary maps. Communities should receive a letter of final determination near the first of the year. The letter will set the effective date of the new maps which will be in mid summer of 2011. The communities will have until then to update their ordinances to reflect the new mapping panels and any ordinance language needed to reflect changes since the last time the ordinance was adopted. New model ordinances were mailed out earlier this year. Now is a good time to start reviewing the floodplain ordinance and making the necessary changes. Some communities with early town meetings may want to schedule public hearings to ensure the ordinance can be voted on at the next town meeting. If you have any questions regarding ordinance language or the adoption process you can contact Sue Baker (624-6230) or Janet Parker (624-6233) Androscoggin County
Completion of preliminary maps has been delayed until spring of 2011. The contractor is behind schedule in completion of engineering studies. We are still hopeful that final map adoption in the spring of 2012 will be possible.
Once the preliminary maps are issued the process contains a ninety day window for community review, appeals and comments. It includes an additional period for QA/QC processing and finally a letter of final determination to the town setting a date when the maps will become effective. Communities will have a period of six months from the letter of final determination to update their floodplain ordinances to reflect the new maps and any other changes to bring their ordinances into compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program.
For any questions regarding the floodplain mapping program please contact Joseph Young (624-6234)
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 RFP Process Completed
Joseph YoungMapping Coordinator The State Planning Office has just completed an RFP process to establish a list of of Pre-qualified Contractors for Floodplain Mapping and Project Management Services. This was done in anticipation of the office becoming a FEMA qualified Cooperating Technical Partner(CTP). Congress requires FEMA to set aside funding for CTPs as part of the mapping program. In FY 10 FEMA set aside $44,000,000 for qualified CTP's to perform floodplain mapping related projects. Previous to this year Maine has not qualified to take advantage of this program. Over 50 companies requested information on the RFP and three companies submitted qualifying proposals. The three companies are AECOM, AMEC, and Dewberry. All three contractors have formed strategic alliances with Maine based companies. Establishment of the list allows the Office to negotiate contracts on an expedited basis and respond quickly upon award of grant funding. The office will be seeking partnerships with other state and local agencies to enhance the State's ability to attract other funding to improve floodplain mapping and watershed management.
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 | | Storm Surge Illustration |
Sea the Surge
By Stephen Dickson Maine Geological Survey The National Hurricane Center has developed Storm Surge Overview, a series of web pages that describe and animate flooding along a coast. Surge can come from winter northeasters as well as tropical hurricanes so the animations are helpful in visualizing how waves and storm tides interact with the Maine shoreline. In one example, beach erosion lowers the ground surface as waves break farther and farther inland. Other examples show how different coastal profiles affect overtopping and how moving flood waters can impact structures. The site also has photographs of coastal damage and SLOSH model simulations of past hurricanes, including the 1938 Hurricane that affected New England. The Ocean Prediction Center at NOAA provides continuous storm surge predictions for the Gulf of Maine. This web site allows users to see anticipated surges from all types of weather including northeasters. This site maps potential coastal surge levels along the Maine coast before a storm arrives. As a storm approaches, tides can be monitored in real time from tide gauges along the coast in Portsmouth, Portland, Bar Harbor, and Eastport. As winter storm season approaches, these resources can provide valuable information on coastal flooding.
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 | | State Planning Office |
SPO Newsletters
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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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