Last week, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) and Congressman Don Beyer (VA-8) introduced the National Flood Impact Reduction and Resilience Act. This bipartisan measure would create a coordinated federal program, modeled on the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, to improve flood-risk mapping and data collection, fund flood mitigation and resilience research, and provide grants and technical assistance to state and local governments for flood safety measures. The bill would also improve coordination among the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, NOAA, USGS, and NIST on flood-related data and planning.
The measure’s sponsors cite Central Valley flooding, including the 2023 flooding of Tulare Lake in Tulare County, as an example of the risks the legislation aims to address. Local governments in flood-prone RCRC member counties, including Tulare County and Kings County, could be eligible for grants and technical assistance under the program to support flood-control infrastructure and mitigation planning.
The full text of the measure is available HERE. For more information, contact RCRC Policy Advocate Eric Will.