Overview

The Maine Flood Resilience Checklist is a simple and practical self-assessment tool designed to assist communities evaluate how well prepared they are for existing and future flood hazards. It provides an integrated framework for examining local flood risk, assessing vulnerability of the natural, built, and social environments, and identifying specific opportunities to enhance your community’s flood resilience. The Checklist includes information about land use planning, hazard mitigation, and emergency management, and is organized into five main categories: Risk and Vulnerability; Critical Infrastructure and Facilities; Community Planning; Social and Economic Vulnerability; and Natural Environment.

The Checklist is designed to be completed through a community-based, facilitated discussion process in which key municipal officials and staff participate in a dialogue about local flood vulnerability, how well existing planning addresses flood hazards, and ways to improve resilience. Community benefits of the Checklist include:

• Improve understanding of local vulnerabilities to existing and future flood hazards
• Engage a diverse  group of decision-makers in discussions about flood preparedness
• Enhance information sharing across municipal departments
• Identify practical actions to improve your community’s flood resilience
• Integrate flood resilience into existing planning and policies
• Identify ways to reduce flood insurance costs by earning points through the Community Rating System (CRS)

Audience

Coastal communities. Specifically, communities wanting to understand vulnerabilities to flood hazards and sea level rise and interested in building flood resilience.

• Community planners
• Municipal administrators
• Code enforcement officials
• Emergency management officials
• Public safety officials
• Public works and municipal engineering staff
• Municipal economic development staff
• Elected officials and local leaders