Environment/Climate Change
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP): spatial distribution of who can be covered and who is covered across the US Lauren Wilner* Lauren Wilner Joseph Dieleman Joan Casey
Introduction.
Floods accounted for the majority of climate change attributable mortality in the 21st century, and are predicted to increase further in frequency and severity. In the US, one program aimed at mitigating the impacts of floods on individuals is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). NFIP’s goal is to minimize losses after a flood by (1) identifying flood hazard areas and disincentivizing building homes there, and (2) providing monetary relief in the event of flood damage to existing homes. By preventing financial loss and facilitating housing security after floods, NFIP may improve health outcomes following floods. There are limited studies on the health effects of this program, in part because there is no single dataset that contains information on NFIP availability, policies held, or claims filed.
Methods.
In the US, NFIP availability varies. In addition, when available, NFIP coverage varies in terms of individuals who hold policies or file claims. Such availability and use likely impact post-flood health. To generate a comprehensive spatial NFIP dataset we combined several federal- and state-level data sources to identify NFIP (1) designations, (2) policies held, and (3) claims filed across the US from 2000–2024.
Results.
In a preliminary analysis of this dataset in the Pacific Northwest, we map differences in coverage across the region. In Washington, only 6,800 people had no option to acquire NFIP, which means that almost 100% of the population had access to NFIP. On the other hand, approximately 1% of the population in Idaho (17,000 people) could not acquire NFIP.
Conclusions.
We developed a new nationwide spatial dataset of NFIP. It will facilitate the study of the potential program effects on the relationship between floods and health in the US.