Changing the Conversation Around Flood Risk & Resilience

In 2017, when 80% of the homes that flooded after Hurricane Harvey were outside the floodplain, it became clear national conversations around flood risk and resilience needed to change.

Four years later, Hurricane Ida caused flooding in southeastern Louisiana and flash flooding in New York and New Jersey, resulting in multiple deaths. This is just one example of the new normal we are all facing. We can no longer afford to view disasters as isolated events instead of what they really are: interconnected, intensifying episodes in our ongoing climate saga.

As Risk Rating 2.0, FEMA’s update of risk ratings for the National Flood Insurance Program, takes effect this fall, investments in modernized mapping and subsidies for the most vulnerable Americans are desperately needed.

In collaboration with the Wharton Risk Assessment Center, SBP’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Reese May, recently talked with Doug Parsons of America Adapts about increasing financial resilience in the face of more extreme weather and what this could look like for the most at-risk communities.

SBP’s advisory team has been informally advising Lake Charles mayor Nic Hunter since Hurricane Laura last year. Last week, we officially entered into a relationship with the city to advise on how best to spend the coming federal supplemental disaster funding that still awaits approval from Congress. The Advocate provides a clear explanation of what’s to come with our new relationship.