{"id":12927,"date":"2021-07-01T14:29:07","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T18:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=12927"},"modified":"2021-07-20T11:47:02","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T15:47:02","slug":"hurricane-season-national-coastal-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2021\/07\/01\/hurricane-season-national-coastal-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane season is here. We need a national plan to protect our coastal communities."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Atlantic hurricane season is underway as many coastal areas still recover from an endless barrage of storms last year that culminated in the most active hurricane season on record. With climate change, we can expect to see more intense hurricanes, leaving many communities at risk.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact,\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>new\u00a0<\/span>report<\/span><\/a>\u00a0indicates\u00a0that as many as 32 million U.S.\u00a0homes and\u00a0$8.5 trillion\u00a0in assets are vulnerable to hurricane damage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly,\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>recent poll<\/span><\/a>\u00a0found\u00a083%\u00a0of national respondents support investments in pre-disaster mitigation\u00a0for\u00a0hurricanes and flooding.\u00a0The federal government has a responsibility to help states,\u00a0local\u00a0governments\u00a0and tribes\u00a0build long-term resilience\u00a0to these threats.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Biden Administration can take bold climate action by developing and implementing a national coastal resilience plan\u00a0to\u00a0establish shared goals\u00a0and\u00a0guide investments\u00a0for\u00a0solutions that protect\u00a0our nation\u2019s coastal\u00a0regions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are four ways a\u00a0national coastal resilience plan\u00a0can\u00a0protect\u00a0coastal communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Direct resilience funding to states, tribes and local communities. <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

President Biden\u2019s\u00a0recent decision\u00a0to\u00a0allocate $1 billion\u00a0in funding\u00a0to\u00a0the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s\u00a0(FEMA)\u00a0Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program\u00a0is a\u00a0bold climate action.\u00a0The\u00a0demand, however,\u00a0far exceeds available funding,\u00a0and there\u00a0is a need to clarify\u00a0how\u00a0FEMA will distribute\u00a0these\u00a0funds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though each region has a unique set of needs, the current lack of\u00a0national\u00a0standards is unsustainable.\u00a0Without\u00a0disaster-resistant building codes,\u00a065% of U.S.\u00a0counties, cities\u00a0and towns\u00a0are\u00a0at risk.\u00a0Updated building codes\u00a0have the potential to\u00a0save\u00a0up to $11 for every $1 invested.\u00a0A\u00a0national resilience plan could introduce construction standards\u00a0for\u00a0resilience and flood risk\u00a0to\u00a0promote consistency\u00a0across coastal states.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Address disproportionate flood risk to increase equity and resilience for all communities.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Governments must prioritize investments\u00a0in low-income communities and communities of color, given\u00a0<\/span>the disproportionate flood risk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0nationwide. The dedication of\u00a040% of BRIC funding\u00a0to\u00a0\u201ctraditionally underserved areas\u201d is a positive step for\u00a0environmental justice, but federal leadership\u00a0must go further.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the nation, the threat of climate gentrification looms,\u00a0and\u00a0disaster recovery funding\u00a0exacerbates\u00a0racial inequality. According to a 2018 study, white residents in\u00a0recovering\u00a0counties saw\u00a0their wealth grow\u00a0five times\u00a0more than\u00a0their counterparts in unaffected counties.\u00a0Yet the wealth of\u00a0Black residents shrank. There is an\u00a0urgent need for a\u00a0stronger\u00a0federal strategy\u00a0to combat these\u00a0disparities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, the federal government must go beyond simply directing funding to traditionally underserved communities for climate adaptation by also creating space for these communities to lead the development of coastal resilience policies and guide investments for their local priorities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A satellite image of Hurricane Laura (2020) from NOAA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Invest in natural infrastructure to build resilience and create jobs.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When introducing the\u00a0American Jobs Plan, President Biden\u00a0stated,\u00a0\u201cevery dollar spent on rebuilding\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0will\u00a0help\u00a0prevent, reduce\u00a0and withstand the impacts of the climate crisis.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With\u00a0seas rising by\u00a0up to\u00a0six feet by 2100, many communities across the\u00a0country\u00a0are\u00a0at risk.\u00a0Fortunately, the plan\u00a0prioritizes\u00a0nature-based infrastructure,\u00a0such as wetlands\u00a0and\u00a0oyster reefs,\u00a0to\u00a0reduce the impact of storm surge and sea level rise.\u00a0Natural infrastructure\u00a0delivers\u00a0additional\u00a0benefits including improved water quality, wildlife habitat, eco-tourism opportunities\u00a0as well as\u00a0jobs\u00a0and economic\u00a0growth at the state and local levels.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A national resilience plan\u00a0would\u00a0solidify a commitment to natural solutions\u00a0and\u00a0establish\u00a0clear, shared goals and benchmarks for measuring progress.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe 2021 hurricane season is off to a record-fast start. We need a national coastal resilience plan to protect our coastal communities. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

4. Champion science and modeling to guide planning.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Science is essential to resilience planning.\u00a0A national coastal\u00a0resilience plan should include reliable, science-based climate impact data and risk assessments to inform\u00a0solutions, investments\u00a0and decision-making\u00a0nationwide.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Policymakers and practitioners at\u00a0every level of government\u00a0must understand how\u00a0flooding\u00a0will impact their regions over time to\u00a0decide\u00a0where and how to invest resources\u00a0to\u00a0protect people and property.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The federal government can help by\u00a0increasing access to flood data and providing resources that help local governments and residents\u00a0better\u00a0understand\u00a0current and future flood risk. This includes\u00a0updating flood maps and\u00a0climate\u00a0models, making data easily accessible online,\u00a0investing\u00a0in resilience toolkits and supporting\u00a0on-the-ground research.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As sea levels continue to rise and extreme weather\u00a0intensifies, strong federal leadership for coastal resilience is imperative.\u00a0For\u00a0decades\u00a0the federal government has invested heavily in risk recovery. With the\u00a0introduction of a national coastal resilience plan, the Biden administration has an opportunity to embrace resilience\u00a0by setting national standards,\u00a0promoting science-based\u00a0solutions and\u00a0strengthening\u00a0federal\u00a0commitments to\u00a0environmental justice and natural\u00a0infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Atlantic hurricane season is underway as many coastal areas still recover from an endless barrage of storms last year that culminated in the most active hurricane season on record. With climate change, we can expect to see more intense hurricanes, leaving many communities at risk.\u00a0 In fact,\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0report\u00a0indicates\u00a0that as many as 32 million U.S.\u00a0homes and\u00a0$8.5 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126135,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107017],"tags":[120320,120266,46603,92489,85132],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-12927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coasts-watersheds","tag-atlantic-hurricane-season","tag-coastal-resilience-master-plan","tag-environmental-justice","tag-flood-risk","tag-natural-infrastructure"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12927\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12927"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}