What Makes the Biggest Difference in Building More Flood-Resilient Communities? Floodplain Managers Weigh In

Floodplain management is extremely complex, and there are many approaches that communities across the country are taking to build their resilience against future flooding events. But as we explored in our previous blog post, many communities simply don’t have the funding, staff, resources, or support from their local governments to leverage every tool in their floodplain management toolbox. 

Which floodplain management measures are having the greatest impact for communities when it comes to mitigating flood risk? 

According to a new survey of floodplain managers (conducted by Forerunner), 65% of respondents said that requiring structures to be elevated was one of the impactful actions their community had taken to mitigate flood risk. The next most-cited was the construction of floodwalls, dams, levees and other flood control structures (33% of respondents), followed by large-scale elevations and/or floodproofing projects (21%), real estate disclosure laws (16%) and adopting future-facing flood maps (14%). 

We expect to see even more communities embracing these methods in the coming years. Our survey found that 57% of floodplain managers said their community plans to adopt higher regulatory standards in the coming year, and 41% are considering adopting stricter standards for development. 

If you are interested in learning more about Forerunner, we'd love to connect! Request a demo or reach out to us at hello@withforerunner.com.