Surprise! FEMA Flooding Buyouts Flow To Wealthy Counties Out Of Proportion To Risks, Damages

EDIT

Federal buyout programs play an important part of the country’s defenses against climate change, by giving homeowners in vulnerable places a way to relocate after a storm. That approach, sometimes called managed retreat, calls for pulling back from dangerous areas rather than continually rebuilding after each disaster, or pouring money into physical defenses such as sea walls and pumps. But homeowners can’t apply for buyouts directly from the federal government. Instead, they rely on their local officials participating in those programs and deciding which homeowners can participate.

The paper found that while most buyouts take place in areas with high flood risk, that wasn’t the only factor at play. Many areas with equally high risk didn’t receive funding, or received far less. The data show that buyouts were disproportionately concentrated in wealthy and densely populated counties. The reason, according to the report’s authors, is that local officials must request federal funds for buyouts — and then successfully navigate a series of bureaucratic requirements — and wealthier jurisdictions are more likely to have the staff and expertise necessary to do that.

“Buyouts require resources and capacity to administer,” said Caroline M. Kraan, another of the study’s authors. “Not all governments may be equally able to access the program.”

In addition, once local officials receive the federal funds, buyouts aren’t evenly distributed within those counties, nor are they distributed according to risk levels alone. Instead, counties tend to use the money to buy and tear down homes in poorer neighborhoods, the authors found.

EDIT

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/climate/disaster-flood-buyouts-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate