By Ken Ward Jr, Staff Writer
Obama administration emergency managers are proposing to toughen the requirements for federally funded construction projects to try to make flood-prone communities more resilient to the increased risks of flooding expected to be caused by global warming.
The Federal Emergency Management on Monday proposed the rules, which would require federally funded construction to take place on higher ground, further from floodplain areas.
“Flooding is the most common and costly type of natural disaster in the United States, and floods are expected to be more frequent and more severe over the next century due in part to the projected effects of climate change,” the agency said in its proposal, published in the Federal Register. “This proposed rule would ensure that FEMA Federally Funded Projects are designed to be resilient to both current and future flood risks.”