FEMA Seeks Input on Incorporating Climate Change into Risk Assessments

On May 26, 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a notice and request for information seeking input from the public on implementation of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022. FEMA seeks information in several areas, including updates to the methodology and data used for the National Risk Index and any other hazard assessment products; potential improvements to FEMA's provision of hazard data; the process used to designate community disaster resilience zones; financial and technical assistance for resilience or mitigation projects primarily benefitting community disaster resilience zones; and the community disaster resilience zone project application and certification process.

Two of these requests for information are specifically related to climate change risk. First, EPA seeks public input on the incorporation of climate change and future conditions data into the National Risk Index. The National Risk Index is a publicly available dataset and online mapping application produced by FEMA that identifies the U.S. communities at most risk for 18 different natural hazards. Currently, the National Risk Index does not account for future conditions or anticipated impacts due to climate change.

Second, FEMA seeks information as to how it can best incorporate climate change into its designation of community disaster resilience zones. The Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act requires that FEMA designate zones at the census tract level based on the natural hazard risk ratings derived from a natural hazard risk product maintained by the natural hazard assessment program. In addition, the act allows FEMA to provide financial and technical assistance to State, local, Tribal, and Territorial governments that plan to perform a resilience or mitigation project within, or that primarily benefits, a community disaster resilience zone.

EPA is accepting written comments on these issues until July 25, 2023.