Hurricanes, and Politicians, Pay No Mind to Flood Plains

Hurricanes pay no attention to flood plains as they whip from state to state. And, as Maxwell School’s Sarah Pralle investigated for the Washington Post, neither, it seems, does politicians.

“And here’s the big lesson from Hurricane Harvey: The U.S. government’s flood zone designation, and the maps based on it, may not predict future flood risks accurately, particularly as climate change alters sea levels and weather patterns,” she wrote. She adds, “While the NFIP has protected lives and saved billions of dollars in damage since Congress enacted it close to 50 years ago, it has suffered from policy neglect and political interference. Moreover, the flood insurance mapping program is ill equipped to help us adapt to climate change.”