States play a critical role in building flood resilience. They receive and allocate funding, influence local planning across jurisdictional boundaries, and can manage flood risk at the watershed level.
Despite this role in building flood resilience, however, state leaders face many obstacles in coordinating across state and federal agencies and lack effective channels to communicate with peers in other states about flooding.
That’s why the American Flood Coalition and the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program this month brought together 15 senior state resilience and water leaders in Washington, D.C., for a three-day workshop centered on state-level flood resilience.
As a continuation of convenings in Aspen, Colorado, and Miami, Florida, the event provided space for leaders to build on past conversations, exchange new ideas, and apply lessons learned from others to their own states. Leaders came from 15 states, each with unique geographic and political identities.
Over the three days, the American Flood Coalition facilitated discussion sessions on topics like regional watershed approaches to flood resilience, federal flood resilience programs, and state best practices. Through these discussions, AFC created a space for state leaders to share successes, as well as current challenges.
“How every state is approaching [flood resilience] is different,” one participant noted. “It’s really great to get to come together with other states and hear what everyone is doing, so I can hear new ideas and borrow things from what other states have already done.”
State leaders and AFC representatives also discussed elements of AFC’s State Flood Resilience Framework. Developed with input from experts across the country, the Framework outlines how states can systematically approach flood policy, while still accounting for their state’s unique environment.
“[We need to decide] are we nibbling around the edges, or are we attacking the root of the problem?” said another participant. “Going at the root requires fundamental shifts.”
During the event, state leaders shared experiences with representatives from federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
As an organization that works at the local level, across states, and with the federal government, the American Flood Coalition was proud to facilitate conversations at a time when the federal-state relationship is so important to carrying out the bipartisan infrastructure law.
AFC is committed to continuing this work with state leaders and supporting them as they protect communities from the impacts of flooding.
“These events are so helpful to me,” said one participant. “I don’t often get to be in a room in person with a group like this.”
More photos from the event
