FEMA flood maps may not account for historic rainfall due to climate change, according to an article in NPR. Recent flood events in Louisiana, where 1/3 of the flooding was outside the flood plain, add proof to claims by climate scientists that climate change is creating stronger, more intense storms. “The federal government’s latest National Climate Assessment notes that average precipitation is up overall in the U.S., and points to particularly intense rainfall events in the Midwest and East.”

FEMA is now required by a White House executive order to factor climate change into its flood analyses, however this action does little to change existing flood maps updated every five years. Read more here:

NPR: Outdated FEMA Flood Maps Don’t Account For Climate Change