By David Harry
Staff Writer

After 20 years of living near Willard Beach in South Portland, Tollef Olson said he has a pretty good idea of what a strong storm can do to the area.
Olson’s ideas about what a storm surge can mean to the area differ greatly from estimates on even revised local maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that reduce the scope of projected flood and wave velocity areas, called VE zones.
As part of an effort to re-evaluate flood plain projections throughout the country, FEMA  officials are remapping areas potentially in 100-year floodplains or prone to damage from excessive storm tides, according to agency maps.
Home and landowners in the affected areas can appeal the designations from now through Dec. 1. South Portland city and FEMA officials have organized a Sept. 29 meeting at South Portland High School so residents of Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough also lcan earn about mapping changes and possible effects.
Revised FEMA maps for Cumberland County could become effective July 6, 2011, said David Mendelsohn, a Boston-based FEMA mapping coordinator. Those revisions will require mortgage holders to buy flood insurance and lead to more stringent development standards for property owners.
The flood insurance requirement of either the value of the home or $250,000, whichever is less, is a requirement for federally backed mortgages. Banks can and have required flood insurance for the total value of the home. Those buying insurance now can lock in rates based on current map designations, Mendelsohn said.
Olson said he and his wife, Linda, were not certain if their home on Myrtle Street was included in an expanded flood zone, but said he’s certain the revised FEMA data was flawed from the start.
“We have been here 20 years, this does not get inundated. You might see some boats get washed up on the beach sometimes,” he said.
South Portland Community Planner Steve Puleo said he finds fault with FEMA mapping as well, even after it was revised following a three-dimensional study done Westbrook-based Sebago Technics in response to maps FEMA proposed last year.
“Some of the elevations make no sense whatsoever,” he said of the expanded flood and high velocity zones for waves. Some spots along the Casco Bay shoreline near the city line with Cape Elizabeth have increased by more than 20 feet because data suggested a storm surge could reach farther inland than local residents and officials imagine.
The consequences of expanding the flood zone would be felt first by those with mortgages on their homes, such as the Olsons.
For those owning property outright like Linda Davidson, who has a house on Cloyster Street, a flood or wave velocity zone designation affects how she can renovate her property and ultimately, its market value.
“I do not think I will be affected, a small corner of my lot may be in the zone,” Davidson said. “But I think it is crazy, I am at least 40 feet above the water and 40 in back of the property line.”
Davidson, a seasonal resident, said she rebuilt her home two years after buying it in 2002 and moved it uphill. She does not have a mortgage or flood insurance, she said. If the whole property becomes part of the flood or wave velocity zones, a prospective buyer will have to get flood insurance as well.
Zoning ordinances require residents of flood zones to build additions at least a foot above the high water mark. Puleo said some homeowners could be prohibited from rebuilding on property damaged by floor or fire.
Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough officials were less certain how many property owners will be affected by the expanded zones, which can also occur inland to include runoff from storms.
In Cape Elizabeth, neighborhoods along Shore Road near Pond and Smuggler’s coves are among those located in wave velocity areas, but Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Smith said flood maps have not been revised extensively because of the work by Sebago Technics.
Town officials received a letter from FEMA dated Aug. 31 asking for clarification on 10 points made in data.
“None of them are real show-stoppers. They are pretty typical,” Mendelsohn said about the clarifications.
In Scarborough, Assistant Town Planner Jay Chace said the affected zones include Higgins Beach and Pine Point, but the areas have not been greatly expanded.
The designations have been changed to reduce projected elevations and remove areas along the Fore River from wave velocity zones, Puleo said. Remaining commercially zoned areas still considered to be in flood hazard areas could be difficult to convert to residential use in the future.
Before the public meeting is held, South Portland officials welcome residents to visit the Planning and Development Office on E Street to view the maps and speak with officials.
Olson, uncertain whether his home could be placed in a flood or wave velocity zone, criticized FEMA data he said was poorly gathered because of budget issues at the agency.
“They have admitted it was budget, not science driven,” he said.
Mendelsohn said he hopes for a large turnout at the meeting.
“The goal is to make people aware of what the risks are,” he said.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219