More coastal homes need flood insurance.

(From McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Connecticut Post - Bridgeport, Connecticut)

Byline: John Burgeson

MILFORD -- This city likes to brag that its 14 miles of shoreline is Connecticut's longest, but that ribbon of sand and summer fun has another side to it.

Sometime next summer, as teenagers lazily sunbathe on city beaches, many of their parents will be opening letters informing them their homes are now in a flood zone.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is putting the finishing touches on its new flood zone maps. As a result, about 3,800 homeowners in Milford alone will have to either buy flood insurance where none was needed before, or they'll have to upgrade the coverage they already have. It's a scene repeated in cities and towns up and down the state shoreline, from Greenwich to Stonington.

Officials say the new maps are needed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is increased …