Revised Flood Risk Standard Could Enhance Resilience of HUD Projects

On June 6, 2023, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about the proposed rule, Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands; Minimum Property Standards for Flood Hazard Exposure; Building to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard. The comments highlighted the proposal’s potential to improve the resilience of housing and other HUD-assisted projects. Pew praised several of the rule’s provisions, including the preference for incorporating climate science into floodplain designations, requirements that projects be designed and constructed to withstand future floods, and support for nature-based resilience solutions.