As climate change fuels more flooding, more Americans will likely be forced from their homes. Many won’t be able to afford such a move, and the U.S. government isn’t prepared for a massive, subsidized migration away from flood-prone areas.
Americans have voluntarily sold more than 43,000 properties in high-risk areas to the government since 1989, according to new analysis of FEMA data. FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program has bought properties located among one-third of all U.S. counties in 49 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. After properties are sold, the structures are demolished and the land remains open.
Some 49 million housing units are located within at-risk areas on the U.S. coast, and over $1 trillion worth of infrastructure lies within 700 feet of the coast, according to one analyst.
Advertisement
Related Stories
Off-Site Construction
Utah Passes Bill to Regulate Modular Construction at the State Level
Goals for housing innovation and affordability meet in the Utah's passage of a new bill that establishes a statewide modular construction program
Government + Policy
Biden's Proposed Fixes for Housing Affordability
In his State of the Union address, President Biden proposed several actions to improve housing affordability and supply
Government + Policy
Biden Administration Extends Federal Housing Financing Program
Funds from the program are used to develop or rehabilitate affordable rental homes, helping boost US housing supply
