FEMA
FEMA Suspends Flood Rebuilding Standard
The rule was designed to prevent the rebuilding of government-funded projects in areas prone to repeated floods.
Research Shows White Communities Gain Affluence After Climate Disasters
People of color and lower-income residents tend to lose wealth despite the stated goals of federal assistance programs to restore communities impacted by disasters.
Proposed Bill Would Expand Federal Disaster Relief
The legislation acknowledges the impact of cumulative damage and expands access to funds for communities adjacent to storm-hit states.
FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant to Fund Marsh Restoration
The grant to fund a marsh restoration project in coastal Louisiana is the first of its kind under FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program, which is typically used to elevate, acquire, or relocate homes or floodproof businesses.
FEMA Extends Deadline for Hazard Mitigation Grant Applications
Tight applications prevented many communities struck by disasters from applying for FEMA resilience grants, so the agency issued a new rule that extended the application window.
Are FEMA’s Disaster Assistance Calculations Biased Against Rural Communities?
The federal tool used to inform flood protection spending calculates communities' risk by multiplying expected annual loss in dollars by their risk factor. As a result, many rural areas are classified as “low” risk, despite frequent, severe flooding.
State AGs Call for FEMA to Classify Extreme Heat, Smoke as ‘Major Disasters’
State and local officials say explicitly naming heat and wildfire smoke would give local agencies more certainty in developing their mitigation strategies.
FEMA Rule Calls for Updated Flood Modeling
Agency-funded projects will be required to be elevated at least 2 feet above the projected local flood level.
The Growing Role of Federal Government in Disaster Relief
As flooding, fires, and other disasters become more destructive, an effective response requires more resources than local governments can offer.
New Jersey Beach Town Gains State’s Highest Flood Management Rating
Sea Isle City, where homeowners once feared they would be unable to buy insurance due to poor flood management practices, is now leading the state in flood control planning.
FEMA Reforms Disaster Assistance Rules
The changes make it easier for households facing evacuation to access relocation funds.
FEMA Climate Resilience Loans Target Small Communities
A new loan program reduces the bureaucratic hurdles to implementing small-scale climate adaptation projects.
Study: FEMA Buyout Program Could be Accelerating Segregation
A new analysis of the relocation patterns of households that participate in FEMA’s flood buyout program reveals a pattern of increased racial segregation.
Hurricane Ian: When to Evacuate?
The New York Times reported on September 30, two days after landfall, that the order to evacuate from Lee County, where more than half of all Florida deaths due to Hurricane Ian occurred, came later than the county's emergency plan required.
Ian's Test
One of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the mainland United States in decades will be a major test for a governor with presidential aspirations as well as his constituents in the nation's third most populous state.
FEMA Flood Mitigation Initiative Will Pay Homeowners To Move
The Swift Current grant program will distribute $60 million to homeowners in high-risk counties to help pay for flood mitigation measures or relocation.
Flood Victims Call for Insurance Overhaul, More Federal Protections
A coalition of residents from flood-prone areas is urging the federal government to improve FEMA's beleaguered flood insurance program and do more to prevent construction on floodplains.
State Study Calls For Tsunami Evacuation Structures In Coastal Communities
A Washington state study recommends the construction of dozens of tsunami evacuation facilities along the Pacific Northwest coast.
FEMA Flood Insurance Updates Reflect Actual Risk to Each Home
Changes to how FEMA calculates flood risk will assess risk at a home-by-home level, rather than estimating the same risk to all homes in the same floodplain.
Louisiana's Health Care System on Brink of Collapse
We've been here many times before in the pandemic, but without the benefit of a vaccine. Gov. John Bel Edwards, one of a few governors to mandate mask-wearing indoors, warns of a collapse of the health care system, but also rules out restrictions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
