 | Welcome to the Flood Zone is a nationally distributed resource for those interested in flood zone issues, land surveying, real estate, history, and educational opportunities. This newsletter has been proudly featured by the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and the Maine and New Hampshire Floodplain Management Programs. Please feel free to share with your friends and colleagues! If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, simply click the unsubscribe link in the footer of this message. | In this Issue of Welcome to the Flood Zone: Message from Jim
Maine NFIP Corner: "Flood Map Updates in Cumberland & York Counties" and "FEMA's Elevation Certificate and Dry Floodproofing Certificate for Non-Residential Structures is Under Review"
Real Estate Corner: "4 Reasons Affordable Housing is Slow to Recover After Disasters Like Hurricanes, and What Communities Can Do About It"
In the News: "Two-month Renewal Window Opened for Florida Residents with Lapsed Flood Insurance Policies" and "NJDEP Proposes Significant Changes to Inland Flood Hazard Area Regulations"
Resources: "FEMA Flood Hazard and Risk Data Viewer", "Risk Rating 2.0 – Equity in Action: Rating Variables (Part 2)" and "U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit"
Climate Corner: "NASA Study: Rising Sea Level Could Exceed Estimates for U.S. Coasts" Banner Image: Vehicles and homes submerged in water in a flooded neighborhood following Hurricane Ian in Orlando, Florida, on September 30, 2022. Featured in the article "Lack of flood insurance in hard-hit Central Florida leaves families struggling after Hurricane Ian". Image by Brian Carlson/Bloomberg via Getty Images. | Message from Jim Happy holidays from all of us at Nadeau Land Surveys! We hope you have a wonderful and safe season and a joyous start to 2023! | Maine NFIP Corner Sue Baker, CFM, State NFIP Coordinator Flood Map Updates in Cumberland & York Counties The decisions made by the Scientific Resolution Panel (SRP) on October 20, 2020, have resulted in some revised preliminary panels for Portland, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth (Cumberland) and Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach (York). The next step is the 90-day appeal period for the revised panels only. The notice was published in the Federal Register on 10/6/22. Local newspaper publications occurred on 11/16/22 and 11/23/22. The 90-day appeal period began on 11/23/22 and will end on 2/21/23. If appeals are received and can be resolved in a timely manner, we anticipate that FEMA will be able to set the final map date via a Letter of Final Determination (LFD) in the Spring of 2023, to go effective 6 months later. The timeline is still subject to change until FEMA issues the LFD. | FEMA's Elevation Certificate and Dry Floodproofing Certificate for Non-Residential Structures is Under Review The Elevation Certificate (FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152 (formerly 086-0-33)) and Dry Floodproofing Certificate for Non-Residential Structures (FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-153 (formerly 086-0-34)) expired on November 30, 2022. They are now currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Until the OMB review process is complete, the existing forms should continue to be used and will remain available on FEMA's website. Upon OMB approval, FEMA will issue a memorandum highlighting changes to the forms and update the website for immediate use of the newly approved forms with the new expiration date. | Real Estate Corner 4 Reasons Affordable Housing is Slow to Recover After Disasters Like Hurricanes, and What Communities Can Do About It By: Shannon Van Zandt, The Conversation, October 24, 2022 How a community recovers after a disaster like Hurricane Ian is often a “chicken and egg” question: Which returns first – businesses or households? Businesses need employees and customers to be able to function. Households need jobs and the services businesses provide. As an urban planning researcher who focuses on housing recovery after disasters, I have found in my research that they’re mutually dependent. However, in coastal communities, the recovery of tourism-based businesses like restaurants and hotels depends in large part on the return of affordable housing for employees. Click here to read the full article. | Two-month Renewal Window Opened for Florida Residents with Lapsed Flood Insurance Policies By: WGCU News, November 9, 2022 National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in Florida affected by Hurricane Ian can renew their recently expired policies without the consequence of a lapse in coverage, but they have a limited window to renew. The renewal extension applies to policyholders whose flood insurance policy expiration dates began on Aug. 25, 2022, through and including Oct. 23, 2022. FEMA has also extended the proof of loss requirement for Florida flood insurance policyholders who experienced flood damage from Hurricane Ian from 60 to 365 days. Click here to learn more. | NJDEP Proposes Significant Changes to Inland Flood Hazard Area Regulations By: Jaan M. Haus, Riker Danzig LLP, October 31, 2022 The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) has announced that it will propose an Inland Flood Protection Rule to revise its flood hazard and stormwater management rules in an effort to mitigate the impacts of increased flooding and stormwater runoff caused by climate change. Click here to learn more. |  Just recently launched on November 9th, this viewer replaces the previous Draft National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) Viewer. | FEMA Flood Hazard and Risk Data Viewer This viewer shares a variety of flood hazard and risk data. Some flood hazard and flood risk data produced by FEMA define minimum requirements for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This viewer includes these required NFIP data and other data showing current and potential future flood hazard and risk, providing access to more complete flood hazard data. Click here to learn more about the Flood Hazard and Risk Data Viewer. | Risk Rating 2.0 – Equity in Action: Rating Variables (Part 2) FEMA’s rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action, considers specific characteristics of a building to provide a more modern, individualized, and equitable flood insurance rate. This video continues the discussion on How It’s Built by examining a building’s First Floor Height, number of floors and construction type. Click here to view the 5:14 video on YouTube. |  A graphic overview of the Steps to Resilience. Graphic by Anna Eshelman, NOAA. | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit This helpful toolkit describes the "Steps to Resilience" framework, a methodical approach communities can use to identify their valuable assets, determine which climate-related hazards could harm them, and then identify and take effective actions to reduce their risk. Built on foundational work by climate scientists and professional planners, the Steps to Resilience framework can help neighborhoods, cities, regions, and tribal or state governments quantify their vulnerability and risk and integrate considerations of people, ecosystems, and economics into their plans. Click here to learn more about the framework, read case studies, and explore additional resources. | NASA Study: Rising Sea Level Could Exceed Estimates for U.S. Coasts By: Sally Younger, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, November 15, 2022 New results show average sea level rise approaching the 1-foot mark for most coastlines of the contiguous U.S. by 2050. The Gulf Coast and Southeast will see the most change. Click here to learn more. |  Image by Dave Granlund | | | |
