South Portland, Maine, Fishing Shacks Might Not Be Rebuilt After Being Destroyed in Storm

When two fishing shacks over one hundred years old at Fisherman's Point in South Portland. Maine, got washed out to sea and destroyed, people in Maine were shocked to see the power of the sea during the storm on January 13. The hope since then has been to rebuild them, but that may have hit a snag.

According to the Portland Press Herald, donations started coming in to fund a rebuild of the two shacks. They look like three, but two are connected as one building. However, rebuilding these historic structures comes with a bigger price than just the cost of rebuilding.

Any rebuild would have to be up to today's code standards which include elevation, setback, flood resistance, and height limitation requirements. If they were rebuilt, there's a good chance that South Portland would be suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program, causing 105 nearby property owners to be unable to renew their flood insurance.

The city would now need to turn to a surveyor to inspect the area and see if a rebuild is at all possible by looking at property lines along with shoreline and floodplain limits. It's a tough situation to be in.

Residents and visitors to Willard Beach and surrounding areas would love to see replicas of these historic fishing shacks built that could take the spot of the old ones, but that may not be possible. If not, I hope that they can build the new shacks nearby so that they are up to code and can allow residents to be able to keep their flood insurance.