 | 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: Real Estate Continuing Education: "Land Surveying, Flood Zones, and Real Estate" via Zoom
Maine NFIP Corner: "FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job Aid" and "CFM Bootcamp: November 1"
Real Estate Corner: "More than 80% of Home Shoppers Consider Climate Risks When Looking for a New Home"
In the News: "The Vicious Cycle of Homeowners Insurance: It's Increasingly Expensive to Protect Homes in the Disaster-Prone Areas that Need it Most"
Resources: "Resilience Incentivization Roadmap 2.0", "Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities", and "Floodplain Management Bulletin: Historic Structures" Banner Image: The front yard and road washed out in front of a residence in Leominster, Massachusetts on September 13, 2023. Image from "Rain-soaked New England Hit by Likely Tornado Amid Wild Weather Ahead of Hurricane Lee’s Arrival" (Robert F. Bukaty, Associated Press.) | Real Estate - Continuing Education Land Surveying, Flood Zones, and Real Estate Join Instructor, Jim Nadeau, for an educational program that provides an in-depth analysis of Mortgage Loan Inspections and Boundary Surveys: two important land survey products that can greatly influence real estate transactions. The second portion of the program gives an introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and its widespread impact on risk assessment, insurance rates, real estate value, community requirements, and permitting and design decisions. When: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM (ET) via Zoom
Fee: $25
CEUs: 3 clock hours This program is approved by the Maine Real Estate Commission for real estate licensees. A Comprehensive Exam must be completed with a passing grade of 85% or greater in order to obtain credit. Registration is required. Once your form is processed, you will be emailed a link to make payment. Registration is not complete until payment has been received. Click here to pre-register for the class! | Maine NFIP Corner Sue Baker, CFM, State NFIP Coordinator FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job Aid To support agencies’ implementation of federal flood programs and regulations, including [Federal Flood Risk Management Standard] FFRMS, the Flood Resilience Interagency Working Group released the FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job Aid (Version 1.0). This document is intended for federal agencies charged with identifying whether a federally funded action will take place in the (FFRMS) floodplain. This job aid is for agency staff and federal financial assistance applicants or other stakeholders (e.g., consultants) that are undertaking the FFRMS floodplain review. The document includes case studies of various scenarios and a worksheet to capture results for floodplain determinations. Click here to download a PDF of the 45-page Floodplain Determination Job Aid. (ASFPM, News & Views, October 1, 2023 | vol. 36, no.9) | CFM Bootcamp: November 1 The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) is now hosting quarterly workshops for prospective CFMs interested in learning more about the program and how to become certified. This is a completely free, live virtual workshop where you’ll be able to gain insights about preparing for the exam as well as ask questions about the process of getting and maintaining your certification. The workshop is geared toward anyone who is interested in becoming a CFM, whether or not you’ve already applied to take the exam. Our next CFM Bootcamp is November 1 at 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm ET. Click here to learn more and register. (ASFPM, News & Views, October 1, 2023 | vol. 36, no.9) | Real Estate Corner More than 80% of Home Shoppers Consider Climate Risks When Looking for a New Home Zillow, September 5, 2023 More than 4 out of 5 prospective home buyers consider climate risks as they shop, new Zillow research shows. Most say their major concern is flood risk, followed by wildfires, extreme temperatures, hurricanes and drought. Click here to read the full article. |  Image credit: CHKnox/Getty Images | In the News The Vicious Cycle of Homeowners Insurance: It's Increasingly Expensive to Protect Homes in the Disaster-Prone Areas that Need it Most By: Dan Latu, Business Insider, September 20, 2023 The insurance industry is feeling the heat of increasing costs related to natural disasters and the repercussions are trickling down to homeowners. It's getting harder to find insurance in regions prone to hurricanes and wildfires, which is forcing homeowners to make risky decisions and causing some owners to lose their property altogether, Insider previously reported. Click here to read the full article. | Resilience Incentivization Roadmap 2.0 Stemming from extensive mitigation research, the National Institute of Building Sciences is working with Fannie Mae to develop a roadmap on mitigation investment to help Americans and the nation’s built environment prepare for and better respond to the devastating effects of climate change. The [150-page] paper – a product of collaboration across business and academic disciplines and incorporating input from a range of stakeholder groups – offers a roadmap toward implementing such incentives. It focuses on the peril of urban pluvial flooding and offers three major findings and several recommendations. Click here to download a PDF of the September 2023 publication. |  Click the image to learn more about Smart Growth from the NOAA website at: https://coastalsmartgrowth.noaa.gov. | Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities How can smart growth strategies help coastal and waterfront communities manage growth and development while balancing environmental, economic, and quality of life issues? How can communities on the water adapt smart growth strategies to fit their unique character? This publication will help communities answer these questions. It is specifically targeted to anyone who plans, designs, builds, approves, or has an interest in development at the water’s edge. This guide begins with an overview of some of the challenges and opportunities that communities along the water face. Ten sections follow, one for each of the smart growth coastal and waterfront elements. Click here to download a PDF of the 60-page report. (Released September 9, 2023) | Floodplain Management Bulletin: Historic Structures FEMA P-467-2, May 2008 The purpose of this floodplain management bulletin is to explain how the NFIP defines historic structure and how it gives relief to historic structures from NFIP floodplain management requirements (44 CFR §60.3). This bulletin also provides guidance on mitigation measures that can be taken to minimize the devastating effects of flooding to historic structures. Click here to view a PDF of the 23-page bulletin. |  Image by Dave Granlund. | | | |
