Careful Choice in Relocation/Building Site Choices

Along Rivers

Humans have been building homes, farms, and communities alongside waterways for as long as we've been building homes. Over the centuries, many communities took note of the devastating, but rare floods, each time building higher on the flood plain, or outside of it entirely. 

Many cities and countries have laws to protect against builders risking people's lives by building in floodplains. Unfortunately some of these painful lessons have been lost to time (especially after invasions and colonization) leading to people unknowingly building in dangerous lands. 

Even with modern knowledge and available maps, some unscrupulous developers have sold unsuspecting people people homes in places that, now, thanks to climate change, can sometimes flood multiple times in one year.

One idea that may help revitalize deteriorating communities inland would be to invest in rebuilding their infrastructure in preparation of sea level and flood evacuees' arrival. Investments for eco-friendly, passive, and renewable infrastructure would help protect the new and old inhabitants against climate change while providing jobs such as food production, circular economy, energy production (such as solar, thermal, wind) from the beginning, rather than the messy rush to retrofit out cities which will cost our current communities millions or more. 

Some locations are experiencing population decline due to aging populations combined with lower birth rate. In response they are paying people to move in, live in those areas. Some offer free land or rebates for fixing up historical properties such as farm houses. Some countries even pay parents to have children, so families may find these easier places to resettle. Organizations focusing on helping communizes move should consider these welcoming opportunities, with careful considerations to the evacuees' needs and the terms of the invite. For example: "Antikythera, Greece offers money to families with children with homes and farms deemed acceptable, however priority is given to Greek citizens. Other locations have stipulations about previous felonies, or requiring people live on the land for a set amount of time before qualifying."

Barriers to Relocation

One article pointed out that "despite federal buyout programs dating back decades, no official set of best practices or standards exists. Wait times for buyouts take five years on average. Costs for fixes and temporary housing stack up in the interim. Guidance for homeowners on navigating the buyout process is confusing or nonexistent, and relocation policies and funding focus on the individual, not on neighborhoods or communities that want to stay together. 

At the local level, communities considering relocation face a range of social and financial barriers. Municipalities don’t tend to encourage relocation, because they don’t want to lose population or tax revenue. And residents—especially those reeling from a crisis—often lack the capacity and resources to find a new, safe place to live, even if they are willing to leave." - Uprooted: As the Climate Crisis Forces U.S. Residents to Relocate, a New Conversation Emerges

Methods

Green Space Expansion

Green space is our greatest natural defense against flooding. These green spaces can be renovated to de-compact the soil and build flood mitigation infrastructure including reservoirs and swales. Ecologically these areas increase biodiversity, and can help expand our range of wildlife corridors which will further protect wildlife against the threats of extinction caused by fractured habitats. Keystone species, particularly beavers should be allowed to colonize these areas, providing flood protection in areas where human/animal interactions can be minimized.

Examples of Green Spaces

Green spaces can perform a number of services, and incorporating green spaces in flood prevention plans can even boost their success and biodiversity.

Maps & Tools

Maps by Region Check specific State and Country pages to see if there are more specific maps, tools, projects, and groups for specific areas. If you have suggestions, we would love to hear what else we can include. Some states and countries have more detailed watershed, county, and city level maps. Other topic sections such as plastic, agriculture may be worth checking to understand how pollution enters our water ways, and how industries might endanger water sources without proper regulation, mitigation, or clean up systems to protect communities from these threats.

North America

USA

• USA Flood Factor Interactive map can be used to find specific addresses, and see how historical flooding as affected existing roads and neighborhoods. Please scroll down in page to find the partial US map, or type in an address and scroll down to find the interactive map.

• NOAA Flood Map Check specific State and Country pages to see if there are more specific maps, tools, projects, and groups in your area. If you have suggestions, we would love to hear what else we can include. Some states have watershed, county, and city level maps. Other sections such as plastic, agriculture may be worth checking to understand how pollution enters our water ways, and how industries might endanger water sources without proper regulation, mitigation, or clean up systems to protect communities from these threats. 

• Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracking (SMART) Tool (Interactive) Tool tracks storm water management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed which spans, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia

• USGS Ground Water Depletion in the United States 1900-2008 (PDF) understanding which area are suffering worst from ground water depletion can help us build better water management systems which could convert flood and rain waters back into aquifers. This would both ensure drinking and irrigations for future generations, as well as stabilizing soil which increasingly threatens building, road, and dam foundations in water-depleted regions.

Organizations

• FEMA "Now more than ever, communities across the nation are making, or have already made, the tough decision to seek higher ground and relocate away from harm’s way. As climate change continues to displace people, FEMA alongside federal partners, strives to assist these communities every step of the way during the implementation of a climate adaptation strategy known as community-driven relocation.
  
  This work aligns with the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan which outlines a bold vision and three ambitious goals designed to address key challenges, which includes leading the whole-of-community in climate resilience. This work also supports the 2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy, which is dedicated to addressing FEMA’s trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations when responding to and preparing for disasters in Indian Country."

Grants & Funding

Asia

• Livable Cities: Financing Partnership Facility "The urban operations of ADB benefits from the support of notable trust funds, which are collectively referred to as the Urban Financing Partnership Facility. Under this umbrella, strategic, long-term, multi-partner investments on innovative urban solutions are implemented. These investments help to achieve the vision of livable cities." These include:

  • ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund

  • Cities Development Initiative for Asia

  • Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF) eligible countries include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Vietnam.

  • Urban Environmental Infrastructure Fund (UEIF)