New study touts economic benefits of flood resilience
14th December 2020 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
A new economic study by Johns Hopkins University and the American Flood Coalition stated that $1 billion in flood resilience investment could create up to 40,000 new jobs in America.
The report, titled “The Local Economic Impact of Flood-Resilient Infrastructure Projects” (available at assets.floodcoalition.org), used data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to measure the impact of federal investment in flood-resilient infrastructure projects on local economies.
Researchers discovered that every $1 million invested in flood infrastructure projects could be expected to create 40 new jobs in the construction and retail industries. Construction workers would be needed to build the infrastructure, and stores would need to open to cater to demands for supplies, meals, etc. Based on this number, every $1 billion spent on these projects would create up to 40,000 new jobs across the country.
An analysis in the study pointed out that 80 percent of subcontracts for infrastructure jobs in coastal Louisiana in 2006-2019 went to businesses located in coastal Louisiana. Ninety-nine percent of subcontracts went to businesses in Louisiana. The most commonly funded projects in this time span were barrier island restoration, marsh creation and shoreline protection. The total number of jobs in coastal Louisiana parishes grew by five percent in this period, compared to a one percent reduction in non-coastal parishes.
The jobs are especially important to consider at the end of a year like 2020 when many Americans are out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects like those recommended by the study would put Americans back to work while protecting local communities from floods.
“This year has been incredibly difficult for so many Americans with the global pandemic and the resulting economic recession. On top of that, 2020 was one of our worst years on record for severe storms,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director for the American Flood Coalition. “We know flooding is the costliest and deadliest natural disaster for Americans. Proactively investing in flood-resilient infrastructure will help meet a number of challenges head-on – it can create jobs at a time when our economy needs stimulus, it protects lives and property from destruction, it has proven public health benefits, and it keeps our communities protected so they can thrive for years to come.”
Roberts emphasized flooding is not a problem unique to coastal areas like southeastern Louisiana. She said river flooding seriously affects inland areas. The Missouri River saw historic flooding in 2019 that devastated parts of Iowa.
“It’s important to realize flooding affects all parts of the country,” Roberts said. “This is a challenge faced across the country.”
The study stated that flood-resilience infrastructure will not just create jobs. It will save lives, save people money on flood insurance and stimulate property value. It will also reduce lost work days for companies by eliminating days where employees cannot come to work because streets and/or homes and offices are flooded.
“When we don’t invest in infrastructure, the costs will add up for everyone,” Roberts said.
In a press release, Dr. Matthew E. Kahn, a researcher and co-author on the study and director of Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, said governments unwilling to spend on infrastructure end up spending money anyway when floods get out of control.
“Since 2005, federal disaster assistance has totaled over $450 billion, but spending only 10 percent of that money proactively on flood-resilient infrastructure could help communities adapt and have large benefits in risk reduction,” Dr. Kahn said in a press release.
The study noted that Hancock County, Mississippi has the 16th highest amount ($783 million) of National Flood Insurance Program payouts of any county since 2000, but has received no money from FEMA for flood-resilient infrastructure since 2003. Since 2000, 10 counties received over $4 billion in National Flood Insurance Program payouts, but no FEMA flood infrastructure funding in that time period.
Roberts is hopeful that 2020’s challenges will lead the federal government to provide funding for flood-resilience infrastructure packages in ways they have been reluctant to do in the past despite bipartisan support. The study noted that Republican states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Iowa, Texas and Missouri have supported flood-resilience infrastructure projects, as well as Democratic cities like New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.
“The time could be right for a large-scale public works program that invests in flood-resilient communities,” stated the report.
The study also listed examples of flood-resilient infrastructure that improved daily life in certain cities. Meriden, Conn., and Minot, North Dakota, built public parks that double as stormwater retention basins and function as a part of a broader flood infrastructure. Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program invested in rain gardens and stormwater planters. All of these projects both increase flood resilience and beautify neighborhoods.
In a city like New Orleans where summer thunderstorms often cause intense street flooding, any bit of flood mitigation would be enormously helpful.
This article originally published in the December 14, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
