 | 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: In the News: "Neptune Flood Announces Results of the Inaugural Neptune Consumer Survey of Flood Awareness" and "Sea Level Rise Summary from Maine Climate Council - Your Input is Welcome!"
Resources: "Massachusetts Coastal Coalition (MCC): Know Flood Newscasts", "An Introduction to FEMA Coastal Floodplain Mapping", and "Risk Rating 2.0"
Flood Terminology: Pluvial Flooding
Real Estate Corner: "How the Pandemic Pushed Home Prices to a Record High Amid Historic Economic Downturn" and "7 Tips to Help You Protect Your Property From Heavy Rains and Flooding"
History Corner: The Carrington Event
Banner Image: A flash flood due to dam failure blocked roads and stranded residents of eight homes in the Town of Lenroot in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, Wednesday to Thursday, May 27 to 28, 2020. | Education The Vermont Society of Land Surveyors is hosting their Fall Conference online, September 10-11. Jim Nadeau will be presenting 3 sessions during the event, which will include topics in floodplain management in land surveying, creating value-based fees, and working with real estate professionals. Click here to learn more about the VSLS Fall Conference. We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the Greater Portland Board of Realtors for hosting our new live-stream distance learning class, Flood Risk in Real Estate, on August 26th. We look forward to more opportunities to provide real estate licensees with continuing education in a safe and convenient way! | In the News Neptune Flood Announces Results of the Inaugural "Neptune Consumer Survey of Flood Awareness" PR Newswire, July 28, 2020 Neptune Flood, in collaboration with the University of South Florida Institute for Data Analytics and Visualization, recently completed their annual survey of consumer perceptions and attitudes. Sampling consumers throughout the country, the survey results uncover timely data and opinions about flood risk and flood insurance. The results provide a potential road map for the industry and government to work together to address and improve flood insurance coverage across the US. Click here to review some of the survey's key findings. | Sea Level Rise Summary from Maine Climate Council - Your Input is Welcome! The Maine Climate Council needs your help! Whether you’re a municipal official, a volunteer on a local sea level rise committee, or a resident concerned about sea level rise in your own town, your feedback is valued, and you are invited to have your voices heard. The work of the Maine Climate Council has continued throughout the pandemic, and recommended strategies from the Climate Council working groups, including strategies for adapting to sea level rise, have been released for public feedback. Read the Synopsis of Sea Level Rise-Related Strategies from the Maine Climate Council.
Visit the Maine Climate Council's website to submit input on their proposed action strategies. | Massachusetts Coastal Coalition (MCC): "Know Flood Newscasts" Hosted by MCC Chair Joe Rossi and Vice Chair Tim Williams, these monthly podcasts feature special guests, updates on MCC activity, and interviews with experts in the flood industry. Our own Jim Nadeau was featured in August's Episode 8 podcast! Click here to listen to the latest podcast as well as past ones! |  Coastal communities are special places and home to vital resources. What makes them so distinctive is also what makes them at high risk for floods. Coastal communities face a range of flooding hazards that include storm surge, waves, and erosion—all of which can cause extensive damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. | An Introduction to FEMA Coastal Floodplain Mapping Using FEMA’s regulatory products, such as Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Studies, communities can make floodplain management decisions based on the best available scientific information to reduce the risk of damage during future flood events. This resource provides a tutorial on how to read and use flood maps in coastal communities and will explain coastal hazards, identify common features of flood maps for coastal areas, and show you how to identify the flood zone and flood elevation for coastal properties using flood maps. Check out the tutorial! | Risk Rating 2.0 The National Flood Insurance Program is redesigning its risk rating by leveraging industry best practices and current technology. Risk Rating 2.0 is intended to deliver rates that are fair, make sense, are easier to understand and better reflect a property’s unique flood risk. While the new program is still being developed, this resource provides some answers to common questions. Learn more about Risk Rating 2.0. |  Flooding in downtown Portland, Maine in 2013. | Flood Terminology: Pluvial Flooding Pluvial flooding, also referred to as urban flooding, surface flooding, or ponding, occurs as a result of precipitation exceeding the capacity of natural or engineered draining systems. When we often say "you don't need to live near water to experience flooding", this is the type of flooding we are referring to. The severity is difficult to predict since it is often reliant on the ability of a particular area to adequately drain storm water. Places with greater impervious surface, aging infrastructure, and lack of vegetation are more prone to this type of flooding. | Real Estate Corner How the Pandemic Pushed Home Prices to a Record High Amid Historic Economic Downturn By Clare Trapasso, Realtor.com July 30, 2020 Who would have thought that this summer, with the number of COVID-19 cases surging and new rounds of restrictions and shutdowns, would yield one of the most competitive housing markets in recent memory? Nonetheless, home prices have hit record highs as buyers are battling it out across the nation over a limited selection of reasonably priced abodes. Read more! | 7 Tips to Help You Protect Your Property From Heavy Rains and Flooding After heavy rains, excess water can overflow the banks of lakes, streams and rivers, causing flooding and property damage. It can happen anytime, anywhere. So, it’s important for you to be prepared for this type of flooding. Learn more! |  Solar storms are "tremendous blasts of particles and radiation from the Sun which can interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere and overwhelm anything with a wire." (Frasier Cain, Universe Today, 2017) | History Corner On this Day in 1859... On September 1-2, 1859 the world witnessed a historic solar superstorm known as the Carrington Event, which created "magnetic mayhem" that resulted in failing telegraph communications across the globe. The impact of a similar storm today: potentially between $1 and $2 trillion in social and economic disruptions. Learn more from History.com! |  Image by Dave Granlund, after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. | | | |
