On safer ground: Floodplain buyouts and community resilience

This report dicusses how flooding is the most expensive and common natural disaster in the United States, and managing flood risk is critical to protecting homes, local and regional economies, and community well-being. 

It highlights how local governments across the United States are increasingly turning to buyouts as one strategy to cost effectively reduce flood risk, offer relief to residents, and potentially improve access to open space in urban areas.  It discusses how the buyout strategy is unique in comparison to other approaches to mitigate flood risk, in that it fully removes a property from future damages.

The report explores best practices for community resilience involving floodplain buyouts and models for partnerships with the private sector.