Federal Flood Policy: Balancing Challenges & Lessons

Floods remain a significant hazard in the United States. Developing and investing in flood-prone areas represents a trade-off between the location’s economic benefits and the exposure to a flood hazard. In the United States, flood mitigation, protection, emergency response and recovery roles and responsibilities are shared. Local governments are responsible for land use and zoning decisions that shape floodplain and coastal development. State and federal programs, policies, and investments influence community and individual decisions on managing flood risk. This book examines federal flood policy challenges; FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program; flood risk management and levees; federal flood insurance and the potential impact on agriculture.