Climate Changed
FEMA Bought 44,000 Flood-Prone Homes. They May Have to Buy Millions More
Few Americans have voluntarily sold properties to the government to avoid future flood damage. That’s likely to change.
Flooding inundates a neighborhood in Grafton, Illinois on June 7.
Photographer: Michael B. Thomas/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
As the climate crisis worsens, more Americans will be forced from their homes. Many won’t be able to afford it, and the U.S. isn’t prepared for a massive, government-subsidized migration away from flood-prone areas, according to the first comprehensive analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data.
In the end, it is the nation’s poorest who may be left behind.