Trump is right. Allow Florida to handle disaster relief
“President Donald Trump has highlighted our broken federal disaster system and the urgent need for states to lead,” write Melissa Roberts, executive director of the American Flood Coalition, and Chris Sprowls, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. In this op-ed, they present their roadmap for the immediate and longer-term steps for the Trump […]
New flood disclosure law will protect Florida homebuyers
Up until recently, no laws required home sellers in Florida to disclose flood risk to potential buyers, so buyers had few ways of knowing if a property had been flooded or previously had flood damage. That left buyers on the hook, often unknowingly, for a risky purchase. House Bill 1049 helps to alleviate some of […]
Building flood resilience in Dillon
“Flooding is expensive. But I am committed to looking for innovative solutions to proactively address flooding and will continue to advocate for state and federal resources to relieve the pressure on Dillon’s taxpayers,” writes Mayor Tally McColl of Dillon, South Carolina, in a new op-ed. Read the full op-ed in The Dillon County News. — […]
Recent legislation strengthens Florida’s leadership in flood resilience
Florida communities are on the front lines of flooding and sea level rise, writes AFC Florida Director Kate Wesner in a new op-ed. Fortunately, state leaders recognize this and are committing investments to flood resilience accordingly. The Florida Legislature unanimously passed several bills that boost flood protections and infrastructure for communities and homeowners across the […]
New North Carolina budget boosts resilience for transportation
“An often-overlooked impact is how flooding affects transportation,” write a group of local leaders in North Carolina in a new op-ed. “While flooding overwhelms businesses, hospitals, and homes, it also wipes out roads and bridges that link all these critical community assets.” The authors outline the new state funds for transportation resilience, crucially protecting roads […]
4 years after Florence, N.C. is building a flood-resilient future
“North Carolina has taken steps to build a safer, more resilient state, from the Outer Banks to the Blue Ridge Mountains,” write two Eastern North Carolina leaders in a new op-ed. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and Pender County Commissioner Jackie Newton applaud the state for investing hundreds of millions of dollars in flood resilience and […]
Flood insurance updates are long overdue for Iowa
Iowans know the importance of flood insurance, which financially protects people, farmsteads, buildings, and belongings when floods happen. Now, for the first time in 50 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating how it prices flood insurance. In this op-ed, AFC Executive Director Melissa Roberts and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) lay out the […]
To build for the future, we need updated rainfall records
“Rainfall data is one of the most overlooked and highest reward opportunities to ensure our cities and towns are built for a future of more frequent and intense extreme weather events,” writes AFC Executive Director Melissa Roberts in a new op-ed. Yet many communities have little access to accurate, forward-looking rainfall data — through no […]
Charleston must keep its anti-flooding momentum going
“To reduce flooding, while maintaining Charleston’s historic identity and beauty, we can’t hold anything back,” writes AFC Executive Director Melissa Roberts in a new op-ed. “With upcoming opportunities through the federal infrastructure bill and a potential Army Corps of Engineers seawall project in the works, we must keep the momentum going. Charleston needs to consider […]
Here’s how NC can make itself a model for flood resilience
With the right long-term approach, N.C. communities can recover faster and be better prepared for the next disaster, write Rep. John Bell, Majority Leader in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and Melissa Roberts, AFC Executive Director, in a new op-ed. The authors argue for historic investments through the state budget in risk assessment, planning, […]
