Supporting Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions through FEMA Policy and Funding


Image of suburban homes and streets flooded with water

The costs of natural disasters in the U.S. are on the rise–2020 alone brought roughly $95 billion in damages from 22 unique billion-dollar disasters, the most disasters of this scale since record-keeping began in 1980. Even as FEMA provides community recovery assistance in the aftermath, it also spends billions each year on projects designed to reduce the risks and impacts before disasters occur. This strategy is called hazard mitigation, and one key mitigation tool is FEMA’s support of nature-based solutions (NBS). In general terms, NBS refers to the use of natural systems, like coastal wetlands or urban green spaces, to reduce the risks from flooding, wildfire, or drought. NBS can accommodate different project types and scales while providing other important benefits to communities beyond hazard mitigation. For example, restoring floodplains to their natural, healthy state allows them to more effectively slow and store floodwater, thereby reducing the impact of flooding while also helping to purify water, reduce erosion, and provide habitat.

Earth Economics has supported FEMA as it has made NBS a key component of its hazard mitigation strategy. In 2013 and 2016, Earth Economics worked with FEMA to create standardized economic values that measure the many environmental benefits that are a hallmark of NBS. Creating these values was a key step towards demonstrating that NBS can often be a cost-effective approach for hazard mitigation that supports whole-community resilience. Having these standardized benefits in place also removes an important technical hurdle, making it easier for communities to complete the benefit-cost analysis component of their applications. All together, this ongoing engagement with FEMA has simplified the process for communities to get their NBS project concepts submitted, approved, and implemented. 

Beyond this support for policy changes, Earth Economics has also helped communities with technical assistance on FEMA applications that leverage NBS. In December 2020, Earth Economics supported Sonoma County, California as they applied for a first-of-its-kind NBS wildfire mitigation project; in June 2021, the project was approved for $37 million in grant funding through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Earth Economics is continuing to provide technical assistance to communities as they develop new and innovative project concepts to respond to their own unique environmental hazards. 

Another way that Earth Economics is helping promote NBS is by ensuring FEMA’s match requirement is not a barrier to hazard-prone communities, especially those that are under-resourced. To access FEMA BRIC funding, for example, communities typically must supply 25% of a project’s cost, with FEMA providing the remaining 75%; for some communities, this can be a significant financial barrier that would prevent them from applying in the first place. FEMA recognizes this constraint and seeks to support communities that it designates as “economically disadvantaged” by requiring only 10% of a project’s costs, with FEMA providing the remaining 90%. Earth Economics is working with the Environmental Defense Fund to provide FEMA with a current policy analysis that measures the number and demographic makeup of people living in communities that qualify as economically disadvantaged. This project estimates the qualified populations for increased federal grant support under FEMA’s existing criteria, and may propose an adjusted definition that better aligns with FEMA’s intent in offering the subsidy. These findings will be published in an interactive format online so that communities interested in NBS projects can quickly understand the financial implications.  By working to increase access to NBS funding for those communities most in need, we are helping bring the cost-effective, resilience-building benefits of NBS to more people. 

Stone-lined creek bed designed to fill with water during heavy rains

Earth Economics provides analysis that demonstrates the economic case for investing in nature-based project concepts to mitigate hazards and provide important co-benefits. This work has included collaborations with some of the nation’s largest environmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Audubon Society, as well as many community-based organizations. Using science and data to quantify nature’s benefits helps drive effective investment decisions and systemic change. Promoting increased NBS adoption by working with communities, FEMA, and NGO partners remains a pillar of our organizational strategy as we face a future of increasingly frequent and costly natural disasters. We will continue to seek new partnerships nationwide that highlight the foundational role of healthy ecosystems in supporting vibrant, disaster-resilient communities and robust economies. 

Photo Credit: SC National Guard and John Neorr via Flickr


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