January 23, 2019
By Nathan Strout
Bath — A new study claims (click here) that sea level rise has cost Maine homeowners just shy of $70 million in unrealized home value since 2005. Bath has been the hardest hit community, with $4.1 million in unrealized value, the study finds. If nothing changes, researchers expect the community to miss out on another $4.7 million over the next 15 years.
The study compares home values against what they should be today absent sea level rise. The researchers found that many homes have underperformed expectations due to expectations of sea level rise.
Two of the top three homes hardest hit by sea level rise are in Bath: one has lost $57,774 in relative value while the second has lost $52,098. According to researchers, one home on Varney Mill Road is expected to be valued at more than $150,000. Instead, it’s valued at just $92,900.
Bath is closely followed by the coastal community of Biddeford and then Scarborough, Saco and Kennebunkport....
The Flood Maps of Bath, Maine are significant. (click here) To view them well, increase the resolution of the maps from 39 percent to 100 percent. They were drafted to be read at 100 percent size. The blue areas indicate flooding is possible at least one per year. I believe these predictions are without sea level rise. If the USA government doesn't recognize the climate crisis, the legal aspect of the country including flood maps will not include sea level rise unless there are laws mandating it.
That is not healthy. Flooding brings mold, including black mold. Fungus will grow and there is a danger to people's health.
In Wilmington, North Carolina there are still water marks on fences and buildings as far into the city as Fifth and Sixth Streets. It may even be at higher elevated streets. The houses along those streets still have the smell of mold in them on many occasions.
Flooding as a once in a lifetime occurrence is no concern as long as the buildings are recovered well. But, annual or frequent flooding is dangerous.
