Looking Ahead
The week I am writing this is the week Joe Biden takes over as the 46th President of the United States. What that means for members and leaders of ASFPM is that we will have an entire new set of federal agency leaders working with the programs that affect all of us as well as our communities, states, tribes, and territories throughout the nation. We will provide them information on which programs are working to reduce flood losses, protect ecosystems, and deliver economic benefits to property owners and taxpayers through community resilience and disaster reduction.
ASFPM will be providing this information to the Biden team beginning this month and continuing throughout the coming year. We will also be offering suggestions to the Congressional Committees that deal with agencies and programs our members help administer in the field or where their communities are impacted. Our recommended priorities build off the National Flood Programs and Policy in Review document that the ASFPM Board has approved.
Those priorities include actions like Biden took on his first day in office with an Executive Order to re-establish the flood risk management standard so that whenever federal taxpayer funds are used to build or rebuild infrastructure or buildings, a stronger, more-effective flood damage resistant or avoidant standard is applied and the taxpayers don’t end up rebuilding those same facilities again and again. (See Section 7b of the EO on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, which revokes Trump’s 2017 EO 13807). Not only does that save communities and taxpayers money, it leads to more resilient communities. This is all the more important as we deal with increasing storm intensities, rainfall, and sea-level rise from climate change. Another priority is to make sure federal agencies and programs use solid science and fully consider future conditions in mapping, risk assessment, risk management, and in mitigation of flood hazard risk.
A third priority will address the need for federal agency collection and dissemination of hazard data used by communities and states in mapping, managing, and mitigating hazard risk. Data collection and dissemination is an appropriate federal activity for ensuring all communities applying for disaster assistance, development regulation, and mitigation funding are on a level playing field. It ensures consistency of data and fairness in providing federal assistance. This includes stream gaging and precipitation data as well as LiDAR geospatial and elevation data for the nation.
Better management of disasters is needed. As disaster costs are greatly increasing, it is essential we improve how to better manage those disasters. Federal and academic reports indicate some larger cities may have staff and expertise to manage significant disasters, but that’s often not the case for smaller communities and rural areas. We do not believe it is logical to think a federal agency can provide assistance to 22,000 plus communities, all of which operate under a different set of state laws regarding how they can manage land and development. We believe it makes more sense to strengthen and build the capacity at the state level so that states can provide tailored assistance to their communities.
The nation must ensure that disaster response and mitigation programs better serve economically-disadvantaged and vulnerable communities with a focus on assuring that non-structural, nature-based, and green infrastructure solutions are competitive in the process. This should include a look at the current benefit/cost evaluative tools to improve equities in economic and environmental applications
Providing strong White House leadership and oversight for federal agencies with roles in promoting climate resilience is essential. This includes ensuring collaboration with states, locals, tribes and territories, and well as with NGOs representing those who manage various aspects of hazard risk and disasters.
Finally, ASFPM urges the new administration to support green infrastructure, natural features and nature-based approaches across all federal agencies to mapping, managing, and mitigating flood risk and ecosystem health.
ASFPM also will be talking with Congress on the need for key legislative actions in the coming year. As you know, the NFIP authority expires on Sept. 30, and many other federal programs will need updates and some revisions. We foresee a busy, formative year, and we urge all of our members and leaders to engage with us to achieve our important mission.
