ASFPM 2025 Impact Report: Leading Through Uncertainty
As we reflect on 2025, two words come to mind: change and uncertainty. It was a year marked by instability at the federal level, difficult policy conversations, and flood events that tested communities across the country. We saw long-standing programs paused or canceled, advisory bodies dismissed, and fundamental questions raised about the future role of FEMA and the availability of hazard mitigation funding.
It would be easy to focus only on that turbulence. But that’s not who we are.
If 2025 challenged the floodplain management profession, it also reaffirmed our mission. While federal support wavered, states and communities stepped up. When uncertainty dominated the headlines, ASFPM remained steady — advocating for practical solutions, equipping professionals with better tools and training, and insisting that science and standards still matter.
The 2025 ASFPM Impact Report tells that story. Even when facing strong headwinds, ASFPM and its members continued to lead — strengthening state regulations, defending effective policy, and advancing sound flood mitigation solutions that reduce risk and protect taxpayers.
Among the many accomplishments detailed in this report, we are especially proud of:
- The resources developed by our Flood Science Center, including the Local Floodplain Management Assessment report — a snapshot of who the nation’s floodplain managers are, how they spend their time, and the obstacles they face — along with a new set of 2-D modeling resources.
- The continued growth and evolution of the Certified Floodplain Manager program, including the launch of digital CFM credentials, which provide enhanced recognition for CFMs and improved verification capabilities for employers.
- ASFPM’s role as a trusted national voice on flood-related issues, reflected in a record 84 media interviews and triple-digit growth in social media engagement, as journalists and floodplain management professionals turned to the association for clarity and a path toward reducing future losses.
- Promoting policies and standards that reduce flood losses, including helping develop ASCE 24-24 — the nation’s new national consensus flood standard — ensuring ASFPM members receive free digital access, and working to get it included into the 2027 International Building Code.
Flooding remains the nation’s most common and costly disaster. That has not changed. What gives us confidence moving forward is the depth of expertise, commitment, and resolve within this association — our members, staff, partners, and volunteers.
2025 reminded us that flood resilience is not a slogan. It is built through steady work, honest conversations, and a refusal to abandon the mission. Together, we will continue to shape a safer, more resilient future.
Your partners in loss reduction,
Chad Berginnis, CFM
Executive Director
Aaron Carranza, P.E., CFM
Chair, Board of Directors
