Federally-overlooked flood risk inequities in the conterminous United States.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is exacerbating flood risks globally. In the U.S., Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) delineate areas at high flood risk (i.e., 100-year floodplains), however, FIRMs are incomplete and outdated. We utilize risk estimates from advanced flood modeling and sociodemographic data at the census tract level to examine inequities in risk to federally-overlooked 100-year flooding across the conterminous United States (CONUS). Using multivariable statistics that account for clustering and non-normality, we analyze inequities by flood type (coastal, pluvial, and fluvial) and along the urban-rural continuum. Results indicate that 26 million CONUS residents live in federally-overlooked 100-year floodplains. Lower income is associated with elevate

SUBMITTER: Flores A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11950426 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature