Washington, DC, January 22, 2021 – Today, the SmarterSafer Coalition released the following statement on President Joe Biden’s Executive Order reinstating the Flood Risk Management Standard.
“The SmarterSafer Coalition today commends President Biden for his Day One executive order to reinstate the Flood Risk Management Standard as part of his efforts to prioritize public health, protect the environment, and tackle the climate crisis. SmarterSafer has consistently supported the reinstatement of this standard and wishes to thank the many policymakers that have championed this cause.
The Obama-era policy set a nationwide standard requiring all federally funded infrastructure, such as public housing, hospitals, and fire stations, to be constructed with higher margins of safety in order to account for the impacts of flooding and extreme weather. This standard will allow communities to better withstand and recover from storm damages by reducing risk and increasing resilience in the face of disaster. Not only will this protect American lives, it will save valuable taxpayer dollars by mitigating the impacts of climate-fueled flooding and storms.”
SmarterSafer.org is a national coalition made up of a diverse chorus of voices united in favor of environmentally responsible, fiscally sound approaches to natural catastrophe policy that promote public safety. SmarterSafer members include taxpayer advocates, environmental groups, insurance interests, housing organizations, and mitigation advocates.
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