With record-breaking storms, aging infrastructure, and growing support for federal reform, it's more crucial than ever to ensure the U.S. is ready to withstand flooding.
Recently, a bipartisan group of more than 250 elected officials signed the Flood-Ready Infrastructure Statement of Principles, which encourages the federal government to improve building requirements, enhance the use of natural defenses, and reduce unsustainable development in risky areas.
In this video, 4 signees—Mayor Bill Saffo (Wilmington, NC), Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome (Baton Rouge, LA), Mayor Wade Troxell (Fort Collins, CO), and Mayor Sly James (Kansas City, MO)—break down how we can make our infrastructure more flood-ready.
*Full Transcript*
Time and again, in cities and towns across America we have witnessed how our nation's infrastructure is aging, broken and vulnerable.
The increasing cost and frequency of major flood events have shown us that the impacts of severe weather, rising population, and changes to the way we use our land have all played a key role in this crisis. Underfunding and neglect have compounded this problem for years.
Major reform is needed to improve building standards that ensure our infrastructure is durable and up to the task of keeping us and future generations safe.
We need to consider the role nature can play in minimizing future damage, and we must reduce unsustainable development in areas we know are at risk to flooding in order to stop the wasteful and expensive cycle of rebuilding over and over again.
That is why I have joined over 250 other elected officials from every state across the country and signed a statement of principles...
...principles that support our nation’s leaders in making flood-ready infrastructure decisions...
Principles that will protect our citizens, save taxpayer money, and build something we can all be proud of...together.
