FEMA

Harvey Floods Houston

After Harvey, Texas Tries State-Run Disaster Relief, With Mixed Results

The scale of the housing recovery effort means some jobs normally handles by FEMA have fallen to the Texas General Land Office.

March 3, 2018 - Texas Tribune

Army Corps to the Rescue!

In the wake of the slow response by the Trump Administration to the devastation caused by the category 4 Hurricane Maria's direct hit on Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been called to rebuild the infrastructure.

October 1, 2017 - CNN

Harvey Floods Houston

FEMA to Buy Flooded Houston Homes

In the hopes of helping some Houston homeowners rebuild in more sustainable living places, FEMA will buy some homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

September 13, 2017 - The Houston Chronicle

Houston Bayou

Rebuilding Houston After Harvey: 'Bigger and Better'

Those were the words President Trump expressed before his first trip to Texas while Hurricane Harvey was ravaging Houston. But experts worry that the rebuilding won't be better due to the recision of an Obama-era environmental regulation.

September 2, 2017 - NPR

Can Insurance Markets Jump-Start Resilience?

Risk-management experts are seeking creative ways to finance resilience investments that prevent damage from natural disasters. Insurance markets, with their direct stake in protecting homes and businesses, can be key partners in this effort.

March 24, 2017 - Doggerel

The Rockaway Beach Boardwalk

Money Leftover from Superstorm Sandy Repairs Now Funding Parks in Queens

A boardwalk reconstruction project in Roackaway Beach, funded by FEMA after Superstorm Sandy, has money leftover. The public is invited to help decide how the money gets used.

December 29, 2016 - DNAInfo

Houston Flood

Texas Flood Victims Searching for Answers

The controversy over the flooding of the Addicks Reservoir outside Houston seems to have no resolution in site. What follows is a cautionary tale about building homes where waters flood.

October 31, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Getting Raised in Gentilly, Loisiana

Louisiana Dials Back Requirements for Elevating Homes in Flood Areas

Housing market pressures, flood insurance costs, changing FEMA maps, and improved methods of flood control are giving victims of flood damage in Louisiana mixed signals on how high they should rebuild their homes.

September 22, 2016 - The Advocate (Louisiana)

New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina

New Flood Maps Downplay Risks in New Orleans

Recently released flood maps created by FEMA for the city of New Orleans are receiving criticism for being 'overly optimistic' when it comes to risks posed by hurricanes and rising sea levels.

June 3, 2016 - The New York Times

Michigan Governor Finds Himself at Center of Flint Water Crisis

A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.

January 14, 2016 - MSNBC

FEMA Trailer

The Katrina Cottage Legacy

The New Urbanist Katrina Cottages initiative for the Gulf Coast appeared to be a failure but their legacy lives on in the SmartDwellings and in the Tiny House movement.

September 20, 2015 - Original Green

Texas Flooding a Reminder of Lack of Climate Change Preparation

Houston headlined the news of flooding this week, but swollen rivers rushed over their banks and onto roads and into homes all over the state of Texas this week. Is the state's infrastructure resilient enough for the effects of a changing climate?

May 29, 2015 - NRDC Switchboard

FEMA to States: Want Disaster Mitigation Funds? Then Plan for Climate Change

A policy adopted earlier this year and due to go into effect next March would require states to plan for climate change before they are eligible to receive grant funding to plan for disasters.

May 6, 2015 - The Hill

FEMA Proposes New Flood Maps: 450,000 More New York Houses Included

FEMA has been hard at work since Hurricane Sandy re-evaluating the risk of floods in New York. Newly proposed maps would cast a much wider net for flood risk on private property.

May 1, 2015 - WNYC

FEMA Hurricane Sandy

National Resilience Agency Needed to Prepare for Continued Disasters

Be Prepared! It's more than a motto: it's how we must respond to continuing large-scale natural disasters.

April 30, 2014 - Edward J. Blakely

Chemical Spill Fouls West Virginia Water, Federal Emergency Declared

Three hundred thousand residents in nine counties in W.Va, including the state capital have gone without tap water since Thursday due to a massive chemical spill into the Elk River. All uses except flushing are off-limits. How much longer is unknown.

January 13, 2014 - The New York Times

Flooding in Howard Beach

New NYC Zoning Rules Will Help Residents Build Against Floods

New municipal zoning laws don’t necessarily make for the most compelling reading material, but a new set of New York City regulations are worth paying attention to.

January 6, 2014 - Next City

With NYC's Plan to Elevate Buildings, Chaban Asks 'Will Jane Jacobs Float?'

Hurricane Sandy made New York's increasing vulnerability to extreme storms apparent, and the need elevate buildings in flood-prone areas imperative. This task is made particularly challenging due to the prevalence of multistory buildings.

May 28, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

NYC Relaxes Zoning to Ease Rebuilding

Three months after Sandy struck New York, the city took an important step in the recovery process by waiving select zoning rules rules to speed rebuilding, reports Matt Chaban.

February 4, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Enjoy the Images of the Superdome, Because You Helped Pay For It

Mark Byrnes explains the recent renovations - both inside and outside - of New Orleans' Superdome, home to Sunday's Super Bowl. The work was funded, at least in part, by FEMA.

February 2, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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