FloodVision Edge of America Tour: Portland to Kittery

June 4, 2024. Edge of America Tour. Portland, Maine. It’s a beautiful, sunny day for Max and the FloodRover II to collect data in the Portland area. But it was less than 6 months ago that two severe  back-to-back flood events  ravaged Portland and much of the New England coast. On January 13, nearly 3 inches of rain fell in just a few hours. Winds blowing 60 miles per hour combined with a record-breaking high tide, resulting in waves of 15 to 20 feet. Portland has a working waterfront, as well as a number of piers that house restaurants, businesses, and shops. Portland Pier, home to Luke’s Lobster and Rocky Bottom Fisheries, was submerged for the first time ever during this storm. 

The 100 Year Flood is happening more often. Now might be a good time to go over a term that causes a lot of confusion when it comes to flood risk and resilience. The term "100-year flood" refers to a flood event that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. This does not mean that such floods occur only once every 100 years; rather, it indicates the statistical probability of occurrence. It is possible for a 100-year flood to happen multiple times in a smaller number of years. That’s exactly what happened in Maine at the beginning of 2024. And with climate change, 100-year floods could become annual occurrences in New England, according to  research  from Princeton University's High Meadows Environmental Institute. In more southern latitudes, along the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico shorelines, they could happen every one to 30 years.

The bartender at the  Porthole , located on Custom House Wharf, responded very enthusiastically to our Edge of America project. She explained how one side of the port / restaurant was flooded in the last weather event but the other side wasn’t and opined on how our data could help local city planners decide which areas need to be built up more urgently.

June 5-6. The marshes and beaches of Southern Maine. The next leg of the Edge of America Tour offered beach after beach after lovely beach and although the crowds are not yet out in full force the signs and vibes of summer were upon Max. The FloodRover hit Higgins Beach first. Small, quiet, and quaint and offering sights of a windsurfer, a young couple walking to the beach, and an older gentleman walking his dog. Next up, the beaches and marshes of Scarborough.

Coastal wetlands provide immense value to humans and nature. Coastal wetlands  provide  flood and  storm surge protection  and erosion control for inland communities, habitat for ecologically and commercially important species, as well as water filtration, and recreation areas. Wetlands also  store lots of carbon  in their waterlogged soils, keeping it out of the atmosphere and thereby mitigating the effects of climate change. 

The FloodRover drove by evidence of the  January storms in Wells , where a crew was working on restoration and repairs to the dunes and barriers that were torn apart. The question remains: Will it be enough for rising sea levels?