The Democratic Candidates’ Plans for Disaster Readiness and Recovery

In the last five debates, we watched the Democratic candidates discuss climate change and what they can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hearing their ideas has been important and valuable, yet too little time has been exploring what policymakers should do about the real-world impacts of climate change already underway. We need to hear more about how they, as president, would better protect communities already at risk from increasingly extreme weather and the rising number of deadly and devastating natural disasters—what is needed to help communities recover, build back stronger, and mitigate future vulnerabilities.

On December 19, 2019, seven candidates will take the stage for the sixth Democratic debate. With climate change again on the agenda, BPC hopes this debate will offer a forum on how best to protect communities already at risk from extreme weather and other disasters, including hurricanes, droughts, flooding, and wildfires. In particular, debate-watchers should listen for the candidates’ ideas on four key policy areas we have identified as central to any platform to help Americans recover from disasters, build back stronger, and adapt to climate-related risks:

Reform and expand flood insurance programs. The National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, makes federally backed flood insurance available in communities that agree to adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinances. However, the program annually runs a deficit of $1.4 billion and, in 2017, Congress simply forgave $16 billion worth of NFIP debt—essentially adding it to the overall federal debt. As of November 2019, NFIP remains $20.5 billion in debt to taxpayers. Among the program’s many challenges, it lacks permanent authorization, which means lapses in authority are a frequent possibility that would force NFIP to stop selling and renewing insurance policies. With only about 15% of flood insurance policies in the United States covered by private companies, NFIP plays a primary role in the nation’s flood preparedness system. Candidates should outline plans to expand both public and private flood insurance coverage, limit development in the most flood-prone areas, and ensure the sustainability of the NFIP.

Prioritize investments in pre-disaster mitigation and resilience. After each extreme weather event, the country rallies around those affected, and understandably the focus is on how to most quickly get areas rebuilt so that people can resume their lives. However, more attention should be devoted to pre-disaster mitigation and resilient building given rising risks. This requires a long-term, sustained national discussion about how to protect vulnerable communities from extreme weather. Candidates should outline how they will promote more adaptive and resilient construction and development.

Update FEMA’s floodplain maps. To determine who is most at risk of flooding, FEMA maintains a database of maps that chart the areas susceptible to both 100-year (1% chance per year) and 500-year floods. Notably, today’s maps are not based on the best available science but rather a political compromise struck between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local politicians. Some maps are based on 40-year-old data, while the maps for 3,300 communities living in floodplains are 15 years old. As of December 2016, 68% of the maps required a restudy or further assessment. When facing new and unprecedented weather events, we need to know and understand all future vulnerabilities, not just historical patterns. Candidates’ platforms should include discussion of the floodplain maps and how to overcome local obstacles to updating them.

Improve funding and budgeting for federal disasters. Americans in general and policymakers specifically are the most forward-thinking. However, it is irresponsible of federal decision-makers to treat each disaster as a surprise and declare their recovery costs “emergencies.” The repeated failure of Congress to account for disaster recovery costs adds to the national debt and puts future taxpayers at risk. Candidates should discuss how to budget and fully pay for all disaster-related costs.

Disaster readiness and recovery have not been discussed as much as climate change. However, some candidates have proposed policies that address BPC’s priorities. Here is where each candidate stands on these important issues: