A cottage floating in New Harbor on January 11th after being separated from its pilings in a storm on January 10th. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer, File
A state commission formed in response to last winter’s severe storms is compiling its first report on how Maine can prepare for and recover from extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and more intense due to climate change.
On Wednesday, the Committee on Infrastructure Reconstruction and Resilience recommended improved emergency communications, online flood risk disclosure, streamlined rebuilding permits, storm preparedness grants for homeowners, and voluntary buybacks for frequently flooded properties. I asked for
Last winter, as storm surges swept through areas that had never been flooded, city officials had no choice but to turn to social media to reach residents at risk. Some towns have since created cell phone notification networks, but their use is limited and reaches only subscribers.
“Area that never flooded before was flooded within minutes,” said Old Orchard Beach Fire Chief John Gilboy, who used a boat and front-end loader to rescue stranded residents in January. told the meeting. “The most common reaction I heard from families during rescue operations was, “I should have gone home.”
The commission wants to give local officials and emergency managers access to the federal government’s integrated warning system. Unlike subscription-based systems, the federal system sends wireless emergency alerts to all mobile phones within a designated area without requiring pre-registration.
The commission wants the public to know more about flooding risks before the next storm hits.
The state will create an online disaster data service to centralize information on existing hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities to help the public understand flood-related storm risks and reduce public health risks and property damage. We would like to be able to provide guidance on how to do so.
The commission wants the state to develop an online tool that would allow buyers to easily see if their home is at risk for flooding, something Maine’s new disclosure law would require. It helps homeowners assess their flood insurance and home improvement needs. Minimize flood damage.
The commission recommends that Maine take steps to prepare for future weather-related losses, including replacing roofs, removing storm windows and shutters, removing tree branches, and building retaining walls around home foundations to channel water. We’re asking you to consider giving Maine residents subsidies to strengthen their homes.
The program is modeled after the successful “Strengthen Alabama Homes” program, and participants may be eligible for homeowner’s insurance reductions. Eligibility for this program is for insured owner-occupied properties that meet national housing resiliency standards.
After the emergency itself passes, people begin the rebuilding process. While Maine already has some expedited permitting processes in place, the committee urged the state to do more to raise public awareness of eligibility for these expedited rebuilding options.
It also called on state permitting agencies to increase staffing through temporary contracts to handle the surge in permit applications after major storms. The commission said state officials should prioritize reviewing disaster-related permit applications in the event of a storm.
The committee also urged federal partners, particularly the Army Corps of Engineers, which issues permits for activities that impact the nation’s waters and wetlands, such as dredging and below-the-high-tide construction projects, to increase cooperation and expedite permit reviews. I asked for change.
Request streamlined permissions
At Wednesday’s meeting, Robert Wood, director of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Land Resources, said the report would encourage federal partners to “improve Maine’s efforts in terms of streamlining permitting for resilience and storm recovery. We should encourage them to consider what they can do to make this happen.” ”
Commissioners warned that the report needed to plan for relocation and withdrawal, as well as resilience.
“I don’t think you can write code or build a way to solve problems in some of these dangerous areas,” said Pete Slovinski, a marine geologist with the Maine Geological Survey. ” he said. “Further information is required regarding recommendations regarding relocation and withdrawal.”
The draft report, submitted to the commission on Wednesday, calls for the most vulnerable areas to be lifted and pulled back from flood-prone areas, such as the 100-year floodplain and Category 1 storm surge zones. It refers to moving from
“Whilst large-scale withdrawal from coasts and river corridors may not be politically or economically viable, the idea of avoiding certain areas that are chronically flooded by precipitation or tidal phenomena is “It is gaining acceptance nationally,” the draft report says.
The report also suggests that the state subsidize 25 percent of city costs for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which buys properties at risk of repeated flooding from homeowners who want to sell. To reduce future flooding, the land is converted into a wetland, garden, or wildlife sanctuary.
As of 2019, there were 118 FEMA-funded real estate acquisitions in Maine, 94 of which were in cantons.
The 24-member commission found that the December 2023 and January 2024 storms killed four people, caused $90 million in damage to public infrastructure, and caused millions more in losses to homes and businesses. It was created by Governor Janet Mills in May in response to the
This first report is expected to be submitted to Mills on November 15th. The committee is expected to submit its final report in May 2025.
The Gulf of Maine has risen about 7.5 inches in the past 100 years, about half of which has occurred since the 1990s. The Maine Climate Council projects sea levels could rise an additional 1.1 to 3.2 feet by 2050 and 3 to 9.3 feet by 2100, depending on how much global emissions are curbed.
Storm surge is not taken into account
And this does not include storm surge. Many people depend on 20 miles of working water frontage out of Maine’s 3,200 miles of coastline, and storm surge caused the most damage during the January storm, with piles holding up many areas. He says he blew it away. Docks, wharves, piers.
How will climate change affect sea levels?As the world continues to warm, glaciers and ice sheets are melting and water is increasing in the oceans. When the water in the ocean warms up, its volume expands. Ocean circulation patterns, surface water storage, and the gravitational influence of glaciers also play a small role.
According to the Island Institute, a Rockland-based nonprofit serving Maine’s coastal communities, sea levels in the Gulf of Maine are sensitive to the Gulf Stream and changes in seasonal wind patterns, making it a world-class It is predicted to rise faster than average.
Maine residents don’t need to imagine how storms like the one that occurred last winter will affect Maine’s future coastline. The state is planning for different scenarios, how much of it will be lost to sea level rise in different years, and how future storms will affect what’s left.
Every foot of sea level rise by 2050 will increase the frequency of nuisance floods (storm surge floods that occur during the day or in the absence of storms) by a factor of 15. This means that a “once in 100-year storm surge” flood level will occur with a probability of occurring once every 10 years.
The state has not yet produced maps showing the effects of future storms of various strengths on different parts of the Maine coast, let alone potential damage from wave effects. But storm surges like those experienced last winter can add another 3 to 4 feet of water on top of rising oceans.
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