WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden Administration’s final federal flood risk management standard will improve resilience in flood-prone areas and save taxpayer dollars at a time when climate change-driven extreme weather events are worsening and becoming more frequent. The rule requires federal agencies to consider and manage flood risk by ensuring federally-funded projects are located outside of high-risk areas or constructed to reduce risk.

 
“Flooding is one of the most costly natural hazards in the United States, resulting in billions of dollars in damages each year. As a result of increasing exposure, vulnerability, and the effects of climate change, we can expect natural hazards like flooding to become more severe in the future,” said Emily Donahoe, a floodplains policy specialist for the National Wildlife Federation. “Prioritizing protection of healthy floodplains and siting infrastructure in low-risk areas is critical to improving our resilience to floods and saving taxpayer dollars by reducing the need for repeated reconstruction in high-risk areas.” 
 
Under this new rule, public infrastructure rebuilt after a disaster and funded by FEMA dollars will be built using higher elevation standards, saving taxpayers money while ensuring infrastructure is more resilient to climate disasters. FEMA must also now consider the impacts of climate change on future flood risk when funding and siting projects.