Washington, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a significant policy change aimed at enhancing community resilience to flooding by redefining the floodplain standards it uses to determine safe building locations. This move follows an executive order from President Joe Biden, compelling government agencies to incorporate climate change impacts into their flood risk assessments.
Historically, FEMA and other federal agencies have defined a floodplain based on an area having a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year, known as the 100-year floodplain standard. However, this standard has proved insufficient, as floods frequently submerge buildings outside these designated zones. The new rule requires FEMA to factor in the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise and increased erosion, to better predict future flood risks.
“The new standard will result in higher-elevated and better-fortified buildings, helping to break the cycle of destruction and reconstruction that has cost billions of dollars over the past few decades,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell at a press conference. “This is a huge win that will enhance resilience in flood-prone communities and increase the safety of families while saving taxpayer dollars.”
Under the new rule, FEMA will integrate climate science into its flood risk assessments, considering current and future changes in flooding patterns. This approach will be more straightforward in coastal areas, where sea level rise predictions are well established. In riverine areas, where data is less comprehensive, FEMA will rebuild at least as high as the 500-year floodplain (land with a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in a given year) and potentially even higher for critical infrastructure like bridges and hospitals.
This shift from relying on historical data to a forward-looking climate risk assessment marks a dramatic change. The previous system underestimated flood risks because it didn’t account for the intensified effects of climate change over time. The new policy assumes flood risk will continue to rise, prompting FEMA to build farther from water bodies and elevate structures on stilts and pilings when retreat is not possible.
“The federal government has a duty to account for future flood risk when providing funding to build or rebuild homes or infrastructure,” said Joel Scata, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Under the new rule, FEMA is building in a way that doesn’t set people and infrastructure up for future failure.”
FEMA estimates that implementing these stricter standards could increase costs by up to $150 million over the next decade. However, this is a relatively small sum compared to the agency’s $3 billion annual disaster spending. Elevating structures by an additional two feet adds about 2 percent to the average project cost, which FEMA projects will pay for itself over the next 60 years by preventing future damages.
Local governments, which often cover around 25 percent of the cost for FEMA-funded projects, may face additional financial challenges. Small towns and low-income communities, in particular, have struggled to provide these matching funds, limiting their access to federal resilience grants.
The Biden administration’s rule builds on previous attempts to expand the floodplain definition. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, President Barack Obama proposed a similar update, but it was rescinded by the Trump administration. The current rule has advanced further in the regulatory process, making it more resilient to potential reversals by future administrations.
Local updates to floodplain standards have already shown positive results. In Houston, Texas, revised building regulations following Hurricane Harvey in 2017 prohibited construction in the 500-year floodplain. These changes likely prevented thousands of homes from flooding during Hurricane Beryl earlier this week, which caused several rivers and bayous to overflow.
FEMA’s new rule marks a critical step in adapting to climate change and safeguarding communities from increasingly severe flooding. By integrating future flood risks into its planning and construction, the agency aims to create a more resilient infrastructure that can withstand the challenges posed by a warming world.