Experts Say We Underestimate Flooding Risk
Posted at 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2012
The Washington Post reports that “the government for years has underestimated how much of the nation is prone to flooding, given the increasing likelihood of extreme weather because of climate change and the prospect of future sea level rise.”
“FEMA, which is updating flood insurance maps from the 1980s, is setting up a ‘technical mapping advisory council’ that will study how the agency might take future climate change into account. At this point, it still bases its analysis on historical data… FEMA draws the flood maps to provide guidelines to local authorities who determine where things can be built. Many developers and homeowners have resisted the idea of expanding the definition of flood risk because it raises costs and can restrict development… And expanding the maps means increasing the area covered by the 44-year-old National Flood Insurance Program, which covers Americans in flood-prone areas with federally backed insurance provided they meet federal standards aimed at minimizing risks.”
