Rising sea levels, flooding take toll on homes in southern Maine

SCARBOROUGH (WGME) – The rising sea level and coastal flooding is taking a toll on homes in southern Maine.

A new report says that Scarborough, Saco, Biddeford, Bath and Kennebunkport are the five hardest hit communities in the loss of assessed value of flood-prone homes.

Most of us see the beach erosion in southern Maine that comes from the rising sea level. Now, a new report out shows some specific coastal properties prone to coastal flooding are not from being on the beach, but from being too close to the marsh.

According to First Street Foundation, a map shows coastal homes in the Pine Point area of Scarborough that have lost some of their value due to increased tidal flooding and sea level rise.

One is a $250,000 home that's now worth less than half that.

Some homeowners say they've seen floodwaters come right up to their back door.

They say even if flooding doesn't take their home, it could take half their yard.

"Every square foot, square yard, call it what you will of this property that disappears into the ocean is a considerable amount of dollars that's literally disappearing," Jim Fisher of Northeast Civil Solutions said.

Jim Fisher owns a surveying and engineering company that deals with flood-prone coastal properties.

He says what happened with the loss of homes in Camp Ellis is now a concern up and down the southern Maine coast.

"There are other properties," Fsher said. “That haven't been affected quite to the extent that Camp Ellis has yet. But it's coming."

The north end of Higgins Beach is another area with several homes in a flood zone.

There's a sea wall there to protect oceanfront homes.

"You don't have that kind of thing in the marshes," Fisher said.

There is nothing to stop the river and marsh from flooding low-lying homes on the backside of Higgins Beach.

"Pretty soon these million-dollar properties are going to be half of what they used to be and potentially even less than that," Fisher said.