FEMA Proposes New Flood Rule

In large organizations like the Federal Government, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, and standards and rules are not mutually supporting. This is coming to an end with one particular flood related aspect of disasters. See this NY Times article, As Climate Toll Grows, FEMA Imposes Limits on Building in Flood Plains

The following is an excerpt from the article:

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency will take new steps to ensure that the structures it funds — including schools, hospitals, police stations, libraries, sewage treatment plants and bridges — are protected from flooding. 

The agency said Wednesday that projects constructed with FEMA money must be built in a way that prevents flood damage, whether by elevating them above the expected height of a flood or, if that’s not feasible, by building in a safer location. The rule also makes it clear that building decisions must reflect risks now and also in the future, as climate change makes flooding more frequent and severe.

“We are going to be able to put a stop to the cycle of response and recovery, and rinse and repeat,” Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator, said during a call with reporters.”

This step is very logical, but will it be long lasting? As noted, a proposed rule like this was scraped in the last administration. If Republicans win the 2024 election cycle, this is exactly the type of rule that could be immediately tossed out as being climate related and as they look to destroy the “administrative state” being run by federal agencies. If they scrap the rule, then they should also stop funding the repair of the type of facilities that are covered by the Stafford Act to limit the budget losses that are running up into the billions of dollars.

Time will tell!