Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States

Abstract The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding to state and local governments as well as tribes and territories (SLTTs) through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program to engage in flood risk management efforts. Although all communities are suscept...

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Main Authors: Jenna Tyler, Rebecca M. Entress, Pin Sun, Douglas Noonan, Abdul‐Akeem Sadiq
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-06-01
Series:Journal of Flood Risk Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12886
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author Jenna Tyler
Rebecca M. Entress
Pin Sun
Douglas Noonan
Abdul‐Akeem Sadiq
author_facet Jenna Tyler
Rebecca M. Entress
Pin Sun
Douglas Noonan
Abdul‐Akeem Sadiq
author_sort Jenna Tyler
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding to state and local governments as well as tribes and territories (SLTTs) through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program to engage in flood risk management efforts. Although all communities are susceptible to flooding, flooding does not impact communities equally. This article contributes to FEMA's goal of addressing equity concerns by examining whether the FMA program is distributed equitably in counties located in eight coastal states in the United States. Using secondary data from OpenFEMA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and parcel‐level flood risk data from First Street Foundation from 2016 to 2020, results indicate that socially vulnerable counties are less likely to receive FMA funding, and counties with greater average flood risk are more likely to receive FMA funding. The findings suggest that there is an opportunity for FEMA to improve the FMA program so that funding can be more equitably distributed, such as providing grant writing and application training and support to socially vulnerable communities, educating socially vulnerable communities about the benefits of the FMA program, and extending the application deadline for socially vulnerable communities impacted by flood events.
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spelling doaj.art-58568b670c3440a8ab7fc3eb7acbd6162023-05-15T04:10:11ZengWileyJournal of Flood Risk Management1753-318X2023-06-01162n/an/a10.1111/jfr3.12886Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United StatesJenna Tyler0Rebecca M. Entress1Pin Sun2Douglas Noonan3Abdul‐Akeem Sadiq4Fors Marsh Arlington Virginia USAUniversity of Central Florida Orlando Florida USADepartment of Economics The Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USAIUPUI Indianapolis Indiana USAUniversity of Central Florida Orlando Florida USAAbstract The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding to state and local governments as well as tribes and territories (SLTTs) through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program to engage in flood risk management efforts. Although all communities are susceptible to flooding, flooding does not impact communities equally. This article contributes to FEMA's goal of addressing equity concerns by examining whether the FMA program is distributed equitably in counties located in eight coastal states in the United States. Using secondary data from OpenFEMA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and parcel‐level flood risk data from First Street Foundation from 2016 to 2020, results indicate that socially vulnerable counties are less likely to receive FMA funding, and counties with greater average flood risk are more likely to receive FMA funding. The findings suggest that there is an opportunity for FEMA to improve the FMA program so that funding can be more equitably distributed, such as providing grant writing and application training and support to socially vulnerable communities, educating socially vulnerable communities about the benefits of the FMA program, and extending the application deadline for socially vulnerable communities impacted by flood events.https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12886disastersequityflood mitigationflood mitigation grantsflood risksocial vulnerability
spellingShingle Jenna Tyler
Rebecca M. Entress
Pin Sun
Douglas Noonan
Abdul‐Akeem Sadiq
Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
Journal of Flood Risk Management
disasters
equity
flood mitigation
flood mitigation grants
flood risk
social vulnerability
title Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
title_full Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
title_fullStr Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
title_full_unstemmed Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
title_short Is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably? Evidence from coastal states in the southeastern United States
title_sort is flood mitigation funding distributed equitably evidence from coastal states in the southeastern united states
topic disasters
equity
flood mitigation
flood mitigation grants
flood risk
social vulnerability
url https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12886
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