Session: Preparing for Flooding: The Role of Citizen Science, Community Planning, and Insurance
Sue Baker, ME Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry
Hannah Baranes, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Parker Gassett, Maine Sea Grant
Flooding can happen anywhere, anytime, so how can communities and the insurance industry prepare? This session will highlight how citizen science can be used to build community understanding of localized flooding; how climate preparedness can be integrated into routine community planning efforts; and how FEMA has taken a transformational leap forward to deliver more equitable flood insurance rates that better reflect a property’s flood risk.
Risk Rating 2.0, Equity in Action: Examining FEMA’s new way of rating flood insurance policies
In late 2021, FEMA completely overhauled the way flood insurance policies are rated for the first time in the 50+ year history of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Hear about the legacy rating system and how the new rating engine will price policies based on a number of risk factors.
Sue Baker, ME Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry
Sue.Baker@maine.gov
Sue Baker is the State Coordinator for the National Flood Insurance Program and she is employed by the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry. Sue has spent most of the last 27 years working in the state Program, becoming the State Coordinator in 2008. She belongs to the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the largest professional group of floodplain managers in the country, and through them, she has been a nationally Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) since 2000.
What contributes to local flooding? Engaging communities to build local knowledge through citizen science
Coastal towns and cities face major challenges as they prepare for sea level rise and the increase in storm intensity and frequency that we are already beginning to witness as a result of climate change. These municipalities face two critical obstacles: 1. Difficulty in obtaining or accessing high water and sea level rise data at a level of detail necessary to assess the vulnerability. 2. Low rates of engagement and understanding on the part of taxpayers and residents. To address these challenges, we’re partnering with municipalities to engage their community in a citizen science project that guides residents towards contributing observations that serve to formalize local knowledge of what conditions lead to flooding, erosion, and splash-over in their regions. Using citizen data, weather stations and water level monitors, this project aims to answer the question, what water level and weather conditions lead to localized flooding? This information will be used to inform and prioritize coastal resilience decisions. Join this presentation to view data and stories collected to date, learn how to contribute data, and how to get your community involved.
Hannah Baranes, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Climate Preparedness: Not starting from scratch
When climate change practitioners begin working with communities, it is not uncommon for municipal officials to articulate that their town has taken few or no steps for climate change resilience. Quotes from town officials like, “keeping up with day-to-day needs often takes priority [over work on climate change],” illustrate that climate resilience may be viewed as a discreet series of actions rather than an overarching factor in municipal activities. This presentation outlines how building climate resilience can be a process of integrating climate forecasts into the planning and activities that are already adeptly carried out in community contexts. For example, the priorities of public works departments, the ongoing activities of Emergency Management Agencies, and often current town planning efforts across municipalities in Maine consistently relate to the environmental and societal challenges which are exacerbated by climate change. This presentation outlines the ways in which climate preparedness can be incorporated into both routine and transformational community improvement.
Parker Gassett, Maine Sea Grant
parker.gassett@maine.edu
Parker Gassett’s work helps to connect climate change science and technical support with coastal community leaders in Maine that are preparing for change. He co-coordinates the Maine Climate Change Adaptation Providers Network. As a community climate resilience coordinator and member of the marine extension team with Maine Sea Grant, Parker focuses on partnership development that connects practitioners, resource managers, and communities in implementing strategies for resilience.