Outdated FEMA flood maps leave billions in damages uninsured

Hurricane Debby caused nearly $10 billion in uninsured damages due to outdated FEMA flood maps that failed to reflect current flood risks.

Saul Elbein reports for The Hill.

In short:

Over 75% of properties damaged by Hurricane Debby were outside areas requiring flood insurance.
FEMA's flood maps are outdated, with some over 50 years old, leaving many homes unprotected.
Resistance from developers and local governments has stalled updates to the National Flood Insurance Program.

Why this matters:

As climate change increases flood risks, millions of Americans are vulnerable to catastrophic losses without the necessary insurance, risking severe financial and societal impacts.

Related EHN coverage:

thehill.com

Credit: Hubert Neufeld/Unsplash

Black carbon spewing from ships is a major climate threat in the Arctic

A coalition of nations and environmental groups is lobbying the International Maritime Organization to create regulations around black carbon, or soot, that spews from ships and blankets parts of glaciers and snow.

Read the Full Article on

apnews.com

Outdated FEMA flood maps leave billions in damages uninsured

Opinion: Artificial intelligence can spur chemical plant decarbonization

Clear Horizons Act, setting emissions goals, heads to New Mexico Senate floor

Black carbon spewing from ships is a major climate threat in the Arctic

What over a century of ice data can tell us about the Great Lakes' future

Fracking boom put oil field in Texas river’s floodplain

Encouragement boosts people’s likelihood to take climate action

Energy Star program survives Trump administration's budget cuts

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.