By Dana Kuhnline

Studies have shown what anyone in Appalachia can tell you — floods are getting worse in the region. As the climate changes, rainfall events in Appalachia will increase in frequency and intensity, and thus flood risk is also projected to increase. However, this is not a future problem: Over the last decade, nearly 20 federally declared flooding disasters hit Appalachia, costing 230 lives and at least $1 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and that funding didn’t even reach many folks whose homeplaces and businesses were damaged 

The risks of flooding are compounded in our region due to many factors — where we live, a history of degraded lands and rural, under-resourced communities with lowered capacity for response and recovery when disasters hit. 

At the same time, Appalachians have a long history of hard work, resilience and coming together to face enormous challenges. ReImagine Appalachia has been working with Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, National Wildlife Federation and dozens of other partners across the region to find the opportunities for improved policy that will give our communities a chance to build more resiliency to prevent, respond and recover when the floodwaters hit. 

The reasons that make Appalachian communities more vulnerable to flood impacts are complicated — so the solutions have to be nuanced as well. 

To that end, we’ve created a new platform includes discussion of housing issues in the region, the need for improved flood maps, concerns related to rural communities that have less capacity to respond to disasters, as well as the role of sustainable agriculture, mine reclamation and other nature based strategies to mitigate the severity of flooding.

The research that led to these pillars and the policy fixes suggested are detailed in the Flood Resilience in Appalachia Federal Policy Recommendations document, but we’ve summarized them in brief for this blog. 

Pillar 1: Increase local capacity to respond and recover

Small towns and rural communities in Appalachia  already lack resources to respond effectively to disasters like flooding, and declining budgets in coal communities worsen the situation. Local governments are the first responders when disasters strike, however, many small towns in Appalachia do not have the funding or staff to adequately respond to flooding.  

To address this, we recommend that Federal Emergency Management Agency funds are restructured to reduce local match requirements and other barriers that prevent or delay communities from accessing these funds. Increased support for local communities — through both state and federal resources — could go a long way towards increasing response and recovery times. 

Pillar II: Relieve the recovery and mitigation burden for low-income households

Median incomes are lower in Appalachia than the national average, exacerbating poverty rates. And low-income families struggle more with recovery costs during disasters. These issues compound when disasters hit, creating long-term impacts that worsen poverty, increase out-migration and cause housing affordability issues.

Further, Appalachia faces unique challenges like private bridge repairs and other barriers to rebuilding due to our geography. We recommend permanently authorizing Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds for faster availability, and increasing grants for home repairs and expanding funding for bridge repairs. Improvements to FEMA and other federal programs should prioritize low-income households for buyouts, flood insurance and other flooding assistance. 

Pillar III: Improve flood mapping and data inputs

Many U.S. communities lack up-to-date flood maps, posing risks in the face of climate change. Existing FEMA flood maps don’t always reflect current climate science or impacts, or local geographic specifics, leaving properties at risk. FEMA, along with other agencies, develops flood hazard maps, but current maps often prioritize populated areas and don’t fully account for climate change impacts or extreme rainfall.

This can mean that communities are unprepared when extreme weather events happen. Deploying more streamgages in Appalachia would improve data on precipitation and flood events and give more notice to communities when waters are rising. 

In the process of developing this platform, several local officials expressed concerns that updated maps would increase the areas included in floodplains and negatively impact residents through increases in flood insurance costs, decreased property values, increased mitigation costs and a general lack of awareness that their property was now designated as located in the floodplain. These concerns are valid and make the recommendations included within other pillars vital companions to updated maps. It is also essential that all maps be verified locally to ensure alignment with local topography. 

Pillar IV: Invest in nature-based hazard mitigation

Appalachia’s landscape, shaped by mining, logging, agriculture and other practices, leaves communities more vulnerable to climate-induced flooding. Nature-based hazard mitigation, including reforestation and sustainable agriculture, offers cost-effective solutions to reduce flood risks.

We recommend improving reclamation practices on mined lands and provide dedicated funding for restoration initiatives like the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, as well as strengthening landslide reduction practices in logging operations.

You can learn more about these issues, and the solutions we propose, in the policy platform. 

Flood risks stymie our region’s economy, and it will take a broad coalition to approach the myriad issues that combine to put our communities at risk. 

However, we have an opportunity to address these threats in a way that will improve our economies, our land and our health. To ensure that the implementation of these policies best benefit Appalachian workers, all construction work or other work done to implement these policy priorities should include requirements for prevailing wages with strong protections for worker safety, use of registered apprenticeship programs and prioritize local hiring. When applicable, the materials and parts should be procured locally or regionally to support manufacturing job creation.

View the platform to learn more: 

[full length platform] 

[platform summary]

Dana Kuhnline is senior program manager for Reimagine Appalachia.