Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition Launched
A dozen organizations, based across seven states, have joined together to launch the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition to drive regional collaboration and advocacy in support of policy change and investment needed to create a resilient Appalachia. It promotes the federal policy goals included in the widely endorsed Flood Resilience in Appalachia policy platform released in May 2024.
The four policy pillars in the platform are:
- Increase local and state capacity to respond and recover
- Relieve the recovery and mitigation burden for low-income households
- Improve flood mapping and data inputs
- Invest in nature-based hazard mitigation
Over the last decade, Appalachian communities have experienced dozens of devastating flood events and scientific projections show that the region can only expect precipitation events to become more severe. The risk of flooding and the vulnerability of Appalachians to flood impacts are compounded by many factors. Historically, housing and communities in the region have been concentrated along waterways. A history of degraded and mining lands has increased flood risk. Disinvestment in rural communities across Appalachia has also resulted in less accurate flood maps, fewer early warning systems for rising water levels, and few resources to invest in flood reduction measures.
The Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition is steered by the Amphibian & Reptile Conservancy, the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, Appalachian Voices, National Wildlife Federation, ReImagine Appalachia, and Wetlands Watch. More information about the coalition and their work can be found at www.appfloodpolicy.org.
