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Dive Brief:
- A policy aimed at protecting federally funded construction projects from increased flooding caused by climate change will soon go into effect, the The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday.
- Starting September 9, new projects and infrastructure rebuilt after a disaster with FEMA funding must be raised at least 2 feet above the area’s flood stage, using updated data and taking into account the likely impacts of climate change, according to the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard.
- According to FEMA, previous approaches to addressing flood risk, based on historical data, have become outdated. The agency said that the nnew policy is a flexible framework that allows you to consider the the best climate science available in order to make projects and communities more flood-resilient.
Diving knowledge:
Flooding is the most common of all weather-related natural disasters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more frequent and intense flooding threatens more and more lives and structures. This week, Hurricane Beryl hit the Houston areakilling at least four people and flooding roads and neighborhoods.
“The human and economic cost of flooding is devastating and will only increase in the coming years as the impacts of climate change intensify and reach more communities,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the statement. “Taking advanced and effective steps to build resilience before a disaster hits will save lives, property, critical infrastructure and taxpayer dollars.”
The new FEMA standards will increase the flood elevation and floodplain to reflect current and future flood risk. The requirement that jurisdictions take into account the flooding likely to occur in the future with climate change is new.
The federal flood risk management standard would affect projects such as schools, fire and police stations, sewers, roads and bridges. Applies to FEMA-funded actions involving new construction, substantial improvements, or repair of substantial damage, as well as hazard mitigation assistance projects involving structure elevation, dry waterproofing, and mitigation reconstruction.
Long-fought rule
First proposed in 2015, the rule marks a victory for engineering, environmental, taxpayer and insurance groups that fought for strengthen building standards in flood-prone areas, according to Scientific American. They argued that the old federal disaster policy encouraged jurisdictions to rebuild public facilities using the same standards that caused their destruction in the first place.
The rule will make taxpayer-funded projects much more resilient, protecting federal investments and reducing the risk of damage and loss, the release said. FEMA officials said the policy will apply to about 35,000 projects over the next 10 years.
The end of the rule complements other actions the Biden administration announced last week, including $1 billion for 656 FEMA projects to help with extreme heat, storms and floods, in support of their National Climate Resilience Framework.
