Rising to the Challenge: Ensuring Flood Resilience in an Era of Change
Change is inevitable, and right now, it feels like we’re in the thick of it. That is at least one thing I think we can all agree on. But with change comes opportunity — an opportunity to adapt and to improve how we do things. As professionals dedicated to managing flood risk, we don’t have the luxury of standing still. We must embrace change, navigate uncertainty, and ensure that our policies and actions reflect realities. In this column, I want to focus on how we, individually and collectively, can rise to the challenge and ensure that flood resilience remains a cornerstone of public safety and prosperity.
First, I want to take a moment to recognize the good work and collective effort of the civil servants in our federal workforce. You are in the eyewall of the hurricane (the eye would be too calm, right?). Over the span of my 30+ year career working with multiple federal agencies, your collective passion and effort are admired and appreciated. To my FEMA colleagues, your dedication to the mission of helping others in our great nation, and your constant willingness to do whatever is needed is appreciated. I sincerely thank you for your service. Please do not forget the mission, and irrespective of the circumstances that are happening right now, the nation will always need strong federal leadership that includes a well-functioning FEMA.
Second, I’ve always believed that with change comes opportunity. Floods affect everyone, conservatives, liberals, and independents. Consider that our nation’s average annual flood losses exceed an eye-watering $40 billion per year. The Trump Administration has indicated that they are focused on the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people, to which I say perfect! Who can argue that good floodplain management doesn’t result in increased security, prosperity, and safety? Of course, this means recognizing that our changing climate has resulted in more extreme weather and flooding events, more powerful and destructive hurricanes, and rising sea levels. It also means recognizing that better codes and standards for buildings are necessary, and that when we look at costs to property owners, we cannot simply look at the cost of construction or rebuilding; rather, we must look at the total cost of ownership including insurance and the costs of being affected by a disaster time and time again. Finally, ensuring security, prosperity, and safety means that we’ve fully recognized and identified our nation’s flood hazards — both existing and new threats.
Third, I am excited about the idea of government efficiency and I hope that meaningful progress can be made in this area. When I was a state employee early in my career, I embraced an initiative championed by Ohio’s late Governor George Voinovich called Quality Services through Partnership. It really was about making government more efficient through process improvement initiatives and delivering better, more streamlined services to the citizens of Ohio. Through the years, ASFPM has identified many areas where federal government programs could be made more efficient and effective and we look forward to working with Congress and the Trump Administration to make those things happen.
Finally, I am excited about examining the proper roles and responsibilities of the federal government, states, communities, and private sector. In many areas, I would argue that the states do need to take a greater role with robust investments in capacity building. ASFPM welcomes having an honest conversation about what the FEMA of the future can and should do….and what it should not do. ASFPM has never supported FEMA being in under the Department of Homeland Security; rather, we think it should be an independent agency with the FEMA Administrator serving at a Cabinet-level position. And while we adhere to the long-held belief that disaster management is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported, I wonder if that is truly the way it is happening today. Was that what happened in your community following its most recent disasters?
As a proud alumnus and enthusiastic supporter of the recently crowned national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, I am reminded of the words of former coach and now Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel who said this about change and uncertainty: “Nothing is going to be all good or all bad in the future; you’re going to experience some of both no matter what you do…Whether you experience more good or more bad in your future is primarily decided by you — the decisions you make, the thoughts you think and the actions you take.”
Change is coming — whether we’re ready or not. But by taking decisive action now, we can ensure that change leads to a future of resilience, not regret.
Your partner in loss reduction,
