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October 4, 2010

FEMA withdraws flood maps

By The Mainebiz News Staff

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is pulling its controversial proposed flood maps for Cumberland and York counties in favor of a new program that will give affected municipalities more say in the process.

FEMA on Friday announced it was ending the 90-day appeals process on the proposed flood maps and instead launching a new initiative called Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning, which will solicit more participation from municipalities in developing flood maps and risk mitigation plans, according to press releases from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree's offices. Maine would be one of the first states in the country to participate in the Risk MAP program. The maps, issued Sept. 2, affected thousands of properties in the two counties and would have required property owners to buy flood insurance, and officials in affected cities and towns argued that the maps did not accurately depict the region's terrain or the severity of storms that usually hit the area, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Both Collins and Pingree worked to repeal the maps, and Pingree has had a role in drafting legislation aimed at reforming the way FEMA develops its maps, according to the releases. Earlier this year, the city of Portland challenged a new FEMA map that opponents said would have unnecessarily limited development along Portland Harbor.

Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>

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