Why does Coastal Management need to estimate that line?
In some places, a storm can wipe out vegetation. So Coastal Management has two choices: estimate where the vegetation line will be when it returns, or wait until the plants reappear. Waiting could take years. People want to know whether they can rebuild sooner than that, so we need to estimate the line where it no longer exists. How do you estimate the line? In areas where vegetation still exists, we won’t need to estimate; we will use the current vegetation line. But in areas where the vegetation line is gone, Coastal Management will use recent aerial photography and adjust the vegetation line shown on those photos landward based on the distance that nearby vegetation receded. Does everyone who has an oceanfront house have to move landward? No. If you just lost your front deck, you don’t have to move. But if the cost of repairing your home (or other structure) is greater than half of its physical value, then you are considered as having to rebuild. If you are rebuilding, you must meet
