Outdated FEMA flood maps leave billions in damages uninsured

Hurricane Debby caused nearly $10 billion in uninsured damages due to outdated FEMA flood maps that failed to reflect current flood risks.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FEMA's flood maps are outdated, with some over 50 years old, leaving many homes unprotected.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

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Kennedy’s health shake-up agenda could redefine U.S. regulations

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of corporate influence in health and environmental policy, as Secretary of Health and Human Services. What could it mean for public health?

Daniel Payne, Chelsea Cirruzzo, Marcia Brown, Brittany Gibson and Annie Snider report for Politico.

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Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Credit: Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra/Unsplash

U.S. secures private sector support for major nitrous oxide cuts in China

U.S. diplomats, with support from ClimeCo and other companies, have negotiated a reduction in nitrous oxide emissions at Chinese chemical plants, a major win in the battle against climate super pollutants.

Phil McKenna reports for Inside Climate News.

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Outdated FEMA flood maps leave billions in damages uninsured

Kennedy’s health shake-up agenda could redefine U.S. regulations

Hope, unity, and resilience guide climate scientist’s message post-election

Trump’s offshore wind ban pledge faces legal obstacles

U.S. secures private sector support for major nitrous oxide cuts in China

Shell wins appeal but climate lawsuits targeting corporations continue

Wildfires surge across the Northeast, driven by heat and drought

Climate change worsens drought and hunger in southern Africa

LISTEN: Pradnya Garud on the role of unions in climate justice

“They’ve been able to combine forces and really come forward to bring social and environmental change.”

Hydrogen hubs test new federal environmental justice rules

A massive push for hydrogen energy is one of the first test cases of new federal environmental justice initiatives. Communities and advocates so far give the feds a failing grade.

What’s hampering federal environmental justice efforts in the hydrogen hub build-out?

“Organizational change in large bureaucracies takes time.”

Los obstáculos para garantizar la justicia ambiental en los centros de hidrógeno federales

“El cambio organizacional en las grandes burocracias lleva tiempo”.

Los centros de hidrógeno ponen a prueba las nuevas normas federales de justicia ambiental

El impulso masivo a la energía del hidrógeno es la primera prueba de fuego de las nuevas iniciativas federales de justicia medioambiental. Hasta ahora, comunidades y activistas le dan una pésima calificación al gobierno federal.

Donald Trump wins US presidency. What that could mean for the environment.

His first term and recent campaigns signal massive deregulation and a reshaping of agencies.