US #ManagedRetreat policies + funding do not meet community needs. Many reforms are needed from Congress + HUD, FEMA, UDSA, USACE. Here are 13 recs I discuss at the @EESIonline briefing w/ @sruffoocean @ProfRobinCraig and Lydia Olander @NichInstitute. 🧵Add your thoughts & recs!
https://twitter.com/eesionline/status/1524450531812515840
1/13 A suite of federal reforms are needed to incentivize state & local governments to discourage new development in floodplains (yes, this is #avoidance not #retreat, but the first rule of solving a problem is to stop making it harder to solve) 
1a - According to @Climate Central report on floodplain development 8 coastal states are building as fast or faster in the 10-year floodplain (96% chance flood over 30 years) as they are on drier lands: climatecentral.org/news/ocean-at-…
1b - Even in states that are building less in floodplains, this can still be costly. An example of how incentives lead to development from @WetlandsWatchVA wetlandswatch.org/directors-blog…
1c - Research on the financial incentives that lead to this by @_lindashi and A Varuzzo sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
1d - Elevation on fill & build is not the answer (also ht @AnthropoceneAlliance): eenews.net/articles/drown…
1e - And a general discussion on why US disaster policy needs to rebalance state and federal responsibilities – dayoneproject.org/ideas/eliminat…
2/13 The US needs governance for community relocation. I believe HUD – with its mission focus on communities and development – is a more natural lead than FEMA so I support creation of a coordinating office in HUD to further develop policy and help communities relocate
2a - Valmeyer, IL had to coordinate with *25* federal and state agencies to coordinate its relocation – see then-Mayor Dennis Knobloch’s description of that process here: opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewconten…
2b - Robin Bronen @alaska_justice has written and spoken extensively on the need for greater government coordination: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
3/13 Buyout programs across multiple federal agencies (HUD, FEMA, USDA, USACE) should coordinate to (a) avoid working at cross-purposes, (b) clarify messaging + differences across programs, (c) streamline paperwork and timelines to help communities who blend funding sources
3a - We often focus on FEMA bc their records are public, but @HUD routinely funds relocation, as does @USDA + @USACE; e.g.: Staten Island buyouts post-Sandy were HUD-funded; see this recent example of @USDA funding relocation in Viola, Wisconsin: weau.com/2022/04/19/vio…
3b - Do you have stories about playing go-between for federal agencies? In one town, USACE is planning to build a wall around the homes FEMA is planning to buy. In another, USACE is studying feasibility while FEMA is re-mapping the floodplain (which will make the study invalid)
4/13 Invest in building local capacity. States & local govs with fewer full-time staff are less able to apply for federal support. Provide consistent funds for additional state staff who can help communities (ht WI). Agencies also need to streamline & reduce paperwork.
4a - Administrators in one state told us they don’t advertise federal funding to locals bc the state has no capacity to support the apps. Often communities have 1-2 people working part-time. Support systems for apps would also help. udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/3…
5/13 Increase funding for #ManagedRetreat. There are more people across the US who want buyouts than there is money to help them. Waitlists for buyout offers can take 5 years or more. In the meantime, residents face emotional and financial stress. nytimes.com/2018/03/30/us/…
6/13 Speed up funds. @RobMooreNRDC @aweberNRDC @joelScataNRDC have lots of thoughts on this. nrdc.org/sites/default/…
6a - Based on practitioner estimates, buyouts using federal funds take 2 years longer than those using state or local funds – an eternity for a family in limbo. udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/3…
7/13 More funding for mitigation + funding NOT TIED TO DISASTERS. Risk reduction measures often continue long after disasters + communities need support to deal with a range of events / risks that do not meet the thresholds for disaster declarations.
8/13 Collect data on demographics at community and household levels. Who applies? Who receives funds and who does not? This data is needed to explore how funding allocations redress or exacerbate historical and current injustices
8a - See this discussion by @water_kraan et al. on the need for more data to improve equity in buyout programs: link.springer.com/article/10.100…
8b - See this paper by Elliott & Loughran showing how hard it can be to tease out who is receiving buyout funds at a household level – and why it is important to look at the household level and not just aggregate census blocks / zip codes: scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/10…
9/13 Collect data on where people move after the buyout. This information is critical to know if people (a) are able to find housing with the buyout prices they received; (b) are moving outside of floodplains; (c) are thriving / struggling after the buyout
9a - This is also important to understand what factors are driving where people go and to help receiving communities plan. See this paper by McGhee et all on concerns that people may move to homes that are equally flood-prone or are socially vulnerable: researchgate.net/publication/33…
10/13 Allow greater flexibility in funding use. For example, allow life estates + types of property rights acquisitions beyond fee simple. Allow flexibility to work with residents underwater on mortgages or respond to other types of hazards (e.g., accelerated coastal erosion).
10a - Check out the Georgetown @Climate_Center Managed Retreat Toolkit for ideas / examples of how this flexibility can help communities: georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/too…
11/13 Offer replacement cost rather than fair market value. That is: pay people what it would cost for them to purchase a comparable home outside the floodplain (not what the market would pay for their house). This is already done under the Uniform Relocation Act
11a - Current FEMA policy offers an additional $31k when fair market value is not enough to buy a replacement home, but $31k in many markets is not enough. The funding also comes with too many strings.
11b - Related: Provide more funding for residents who will need to remodel their new home to accommodate a disability or mobility issue (e.g., to add wheelchair accessibility).
12/13 Encourage / relocate affordable housing outside the floodplain. Too much is already exposed. That amount is projected to triple by 2050. And a continuing affordable housing crisis makes it difficult for people who want to leave flood-prone homes to find comparable housing.
12a - See this recent report by @ClimateCentral on affordable housing exposed to flooding: climatecentral.org/news/report-co…
12b - And check out this report by the @FurmanCetnerNYU on housing in the floodplain furmancenter.org/files/NYUFurma…
13/13 Fund land reclamation and use. After a government purchases risk-prone properties, they may need additional funding to turn those spaces into wetlands, parks, or other uses that support the community.
13b - @zavar_geog ‘s work has highlighted how lands are often left derelict, and how this has equity considerations. See her seminal paper here: semanticscholar.org/paper/Land-use…
There are so many more things that could or should be done to reform US disaster and climate adaptation, so please add! @threadreaderapp unroll
On local capacity to acquire & manage fed funds - check out this new map and analysis by @headecon
https://twitter.com/headecon/status/1527039589050896385?t=rzvD2KWVwSsnjV4wsqnUPA&s=19
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