On 8 March 2016 we received the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). ~In April 2016 I attended a meeting with FEMA, the Maine Floodplain Management Program, and FEMA engineers on these new maps. These are preliminary only at this point. A 90 day appeal process will tentatively start in August and run through November. We should receive a Final Letter of Determination January 2017 and we must adopt the new ordinance by
July 2017. If you own property in a shoreland area, it would be in your best interest to view the proposed new floodplain maps at City Hall during before this 90 day period ends.
The last maps and study were completed in 1987. FEMA is in the process of updating all Maine floodways. ~Eastport will utilize the 1987 flood map until the new maps are approved and adopted.
These preliminary maps represent a new coastal study that is being conducted using updated methodology and two foot topographical data obtained through Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). The purpose is to provide updated flood hazard risk information for mitigation and planning.
The accuracy of flood maps is important for determining appropriate flood insurance rates and local and state permits, and because lending institutions rely on them when deciding to grant loans (or not to grant loans) for structures located in the floodplain. The Maine Map Modernization Program is a federally-funded initiative to update, remap, and digitize the country's flood hazard areas.
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