An investigation of federal programs showed that many of the taxpayer-backed programs are riddled with inconsistencies and bureaucracy, often impeding intended outcomes
Mandy Graham knew her spacious, attractive dream house on the Arkansas River was in a 100-year floodplain, but when she bought it in 2017 — with the help of a federally funded flood insurance plan — it had been just 31 years since Tulsa’s largest-ever flood.Two years later, the rains came and didn’t stop until her home was under 6 feet of water.
For decades, lawmakers and federal agencies in Washington, D.C., have resisted taking harsh action to pull federal insurance funding from especially vulnerable areas, even as climate change made a mockery of 100-year projections of the type that Graham counted on.
funding — $3.5 billion — behind efforts to move people out of harm’s way, said David Maurstad, who is FEMA’s deputy associate administrator of resilience, while federal officials have begun nudging people away from such vulnerable areas as coastal Washington state, the Mississippi River Delta in Missouri and Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.
“The interest level has never been higher,” said Rob Moore, director of the water and climate team at the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council. “Those funding streams are now stable for the first time in their history.” has moved slowly. Amid the delays, people who once entertained taking government cash to leave reversed course, even if it meant spending tens of thousands of dollars to hoist their homes higher.
“I typically advise folks: ‘Don’t wait for this program,’” said Lacie Jones, the project manager for Meshek & Associates, the local firm Tulsa County has hired to handle the grant. “We don’t want people to wait forever.” But as climate change makes disasters more frequent and severe, a once-taboo strategy known as “managed retreat” is getting more serious consideration in Congress and the federal government. The concept refers to relocating entire communities as climate change threatens make some places uninhabitable, whether because of rising seas or dwindling water supplies.
“You have to really love where you live, to fight for it,” added Mary Chase. “And fight is the key. It’s a total fight.” The few examples of U.S. managed retreat have been piecemeal — not the holistic type of retrenchment academics envision. And results have been mixed where the federal government directly intervened, such as withStill, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is exploring managed retreat for the Gulf Coastbipartisan infrastructure law
Even places like Tulsa, which have enacted policies designed to entice people to relocate, only do so after a disaster strikes. Gary McCormick, Tulsa’s senior special projects engineer, said most people remain resistant to a buyout unless they actually experience a flood. “The signal from the federal government is that we’re taking resilience seriously,” said Natalie Enclade, executive director at BuildStrong Coalition.
The 79-year-old Jackson officially retired from teaching in Tulsa Public Schools in 2016 after earning enough to redo the kitchen and pay for other renovations to the home. But the floods ravaged it — and contaminated the land, fouling the air.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
NCT Dream announce additional dates for 'The Dream Show 2 : In A DREAM' in Japan at Kyocera Dome Osaka | allkpopBack on November 23, NCT Dream successfully kicked off the Japan leg of their world tour 'The Dream Show 2 : In A DREAM' in Nagoya, Japan.&…
Consulte Mais informação »
Report: Amazon Alexa could be set to lose billions this yearAlexa has been a well known name in voice assistant technology, but struggled to maintain a steady revenue stream.
Consulte Mais informação »
Nigeria Unveils Untapped Oil Reserve as Nation Loses Billions to ThievesMuhammadu Buhari of Nigeria announced on Tuesday the discovery of a massive oil reserve in the north of the country that may hold over a billion barrels of crude.
Consulte Mais informação »
FTX collapse wipes out billions as investors flee cryptoThe collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX wiped out billions of dollars in assets as investors fled the troubled cryptocurrency exchange.
Consulte Mais informação »
Boy Group Xeed drops Individual Concept Photos for 'Dream Land' | allkpopBoy group Xeed began preparing for their debut by holding a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Rising Star. The campaign exceeded expectations and…
Consulte Mais informação »