Meeting the Challenge of Change: Implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Climate-Informed Science Approach

摘要

The Association of State Floodplain Managers' (ASFPM) report Meeting the Challenge of Change—which we summarize in this paper—addresses implementation of the President's new federal standard for flood risk management (Executive Order 13690), including its requirement to consider future flood risk when planning taxpayer-funded projects in areas prone to flooding. Throughout the ASFPM report, the challenges are paired with implementable actions. The report concludes in many cases use of an approach based on climate-informed science will provide better risk estimation and planning outcomes than other "one size fits all" options such as building to the current 500-year flood standard or applying extra freeboard for construction. The report also explores ways floodplain management is meeting the challenge of managing future flood risk, summarizes key provisions of EO 13690, and makes a number of specific recommendations aimed at resolving policy issues, building cooperation and collaboration, and identifying, communicating and mitigating future risk. Meeting the Challenge of Change was prompted by issues raised at the ASFPM Foundation's Gilbert F. White National Flood Policy Forum held in September 2015. Contributing attendees included more than 100 representatives from government, non-profit organizations, academia and corporate sector.