The State Resilience Office’s Flood Ready Maine initiative provides new resources to communities for understanding where flood risk is and taking action to protect property and prevent flood damage. Flood Ready Maine builds upon the technical assistance and educational opportunities offered by the Floodplain Management Program.
Flood Ready Maine was established in 2025 by LD 1 An Act to Increase Storm Preparedness for Maine's Communities, Homes and Infrastructure with two primary goals:
- Increase the availability of qualified floodplain management experts who can help communities identify flood risks and utilize the floodplain management tools to make their residents and businesses safer.
- Improve access to information, maps, and guidance so that communities can make informed plans and decisions that reduce flood risks.
Flood Ready Maine has two projects underway to meet these goals:
- The creation of permanent certified floodplain manager (CFM) positions at each of Maine’s 10 regional councils, funded by SRO. The CFMs who will help communities administer local floodplain ordinances, as required by the National Flood Insurance Program, and develop local flood risk reduction projects. SRO will provide on-going training and professional education opportunities for these regional positions as well as local floodplain managers.
- An online hub for flood maps, sea level rise maps, climate risk data, and guidance for taking local and regional action. New flood maps will be developed for the most rural parts of Maine where existing maps are decades old or do not exist at all. SRO will also develop statewide maps of future flood risk incorporating projected changes in precipitation.