Flood-Prepared Communities
Archived Project

Flood-Prepared Communities

Project

We’re continuing our work to prepare communities for floods.

Visit our new U.S. conservation page for more on Pew’s latest projects.

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Project

We’re continuing our work to prepare communities for floods.

The lands and waters of the United States are national and global treasures. From the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific coast and Alaska, the landscapes we call home include mountains, deserts, rivers, freshwater wetlands, coastal areas, and oceans.

Flooding is the most common and costly weather-related disaster in the United States. From 2015 to 2023, Pew’s flood-prepared communities initiative supported research and advanced federal and state policies and planning that will make communities more resilient to flooding and reduce costs to taxpayers. To ensure durability of the reforms and their implementation, Pew and its partners secured more than $33 billion in public funding to support mitigation projects and programs and nature-based solutions to reduce risks throughout the country. 

Pew’s resilience work continues in the U.S. conservation project.

Two teens dig in the underbrush beneath trees with golden leaves as a third young person walks behind them. A bright sun and blue sky with wispy clouds fill the background.
Two teens dig in the underbrush beneath trees with golden leaves as a third young person walks behind them. A bright sun and blue sky with wispy clouds fill the background.

Local Champions Talk About Protecting Their Communities

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From the coasts to the heartland, climate-related disasters continue to threaten American communities of all sizes. But local resilience and environmental justice activists are leading the charge to limit the destruction from climate events and pollution.

Our Work

Flooded street
Flooded street
Fact Sheet

How Pew Helps Build Flood-Resilient States

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Fact Sheet

Flood-related disasters have cost the United States more than $900 billion in damage and economic losses since 2000 and have affected every state. Experts expect future flood events to be more prevalent and severe, challenging all levels of government to manage increasingly devastating impacts.

The Wilson neighborhood is filled with water from Salters Creek during King Tide, one of the highest tides of the year, in Newport News, Va., on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
The Wilson neighborhood is filled with water from Salters Creek during King Tide, one of the highest tides of the year, in Newport News, Va., on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
Report

Property Buyouts for Flood-Prone Communities

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Report

Each year across the United States, communities large and small, inland and coastal, face devastation from flooding.

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