| By Miquéla V Thornton As flooding becomes an increasingly common and destructive feature of Texas life, housing experts are calling for the creation of a statewide, voluntary buyout program to move residents out of the most high-risk areas. The experts say Texas needs a bold and urgent solution as around 5 million people — one of the highest numbers among US states — live or work on floodplains, and climate change is bringing more intense rainfall. Galveston, Texas, for instance, now endures nearly 14 floods annually, a dramatic increase from virtually none in the 1950s. “That’s why the buyout approach is necessary — it’s the only way to get existing structures out” of harm’s way, said Shannon Van Zandt, a housing equity researcher at Texas A&M University, who has advocated for a state plan.  The banks of the Guadalupe River in Center Point on July 13 following flash floods in Texas. Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Buyout programs usually involve a government purchasing a property that has repeatedly flooded at market rate to reduce resident risk, cut liabilities and restore land, which can improve flood resiliency. The call for state action comes as federal support for buyouts has proven increasingly unreliable. Historically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covered most of the costs of buyouts, albeit with a slow process and requirements that leave out in-debt homeowners. Yet funding cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration have left some flood-stricken communities across the US in a “buyout limbo,” making a state-led initiative a potential necessity. Some states — New Jersey, New York and Washington — have already launched permanent programs with non-federal funding, with others like Massachusetts exploring the option. Cities and counties are rolling out buyouts as well, including Tulsa, Nashville and Charlotte-Mecklenburg County in North Carolina and Austin and Harris County in Texas. New York City, meanwhile, plans to launch a program next year. What has made these programs successful are three things: their permanence, community buy-in and independent funding. Tulsa and Nashville officials have said the cities will entirely fund buyouts if necessary, until FEMA funding is restored. More local controlIvis Garcia, an urban planning expert at at Texas A&M, said Texas is in a strong economic position to introduce a statewide program because of its multi-billion-dollar rainy day fund, a state savings account for emergencies. The fund had a budget surplus of $23.8 billion as of January. Texas’ rainy day fund is among the most robust in the US — a Pew Research Analysis showed it could survive solely on those funds for over 86 days, ranking no. 7 among states. Jeff Branick, who has overseen buyouts in Jefferson County, Texas, said a well-funded state program would overcome many of the problems he’s experienced with federal grants. After Hurricane Harvey, for example, the county secured federal funding to offer buyouts to 100 homeowners in a heavily damaged subdivision. But because it took years for the money to flow into the county, about a third of homeowners chose not to participate. These homes remain at risk, he said, and the county, meanwhile, still has to pay to maintain the now more sparsely populated subdivision. “A state-run program with fewer restrictions and less administrative overhead would certainly be attractive to flood-prone areas,” Branick said, “but I’ll leave it to friends at the legislature to decide.” Experts argue that buyouts can save money in the long run. The Natural Resources Defense Council calculates that for every $100 that has been spent via federal funds to rebuild a flood-destroyed home in the US, it costs only $1.70 to help move people before a disaster. “Floods are inevitable; catastrophe is not,” said Tim Palmer, a former planner and author of the book Seek Higher Ground, which explores attempts to flee floodplains across the US. Texas is still reeling from floods that killed more than 130 people last month and caused $18 billion to $22 billion in damage, according to early estimates. Getting community buy-inDespite the need to cover areas of the state without local buyout plans, experts note implementing a statewide program in a place as vast and diverse as Texas presents significant challenges. Buyouts are not just costly, but are also likely to face resistance from residents emotionally or financially tied to their homes. Some of those barriers can be avoided if officials doing the buyouts involve community members from the start, said Linda Shi, a professor of city and regional planning at Cornell University. Shi studied five local, long-term buyout programs in the US, and found successful initiatives focused on making communities emotionally prepared to leave their homes. It also helps to enlist residents in the buyout funding, for example, by adding a fee in their utility bill. That raises awareness about how these programs work and the need for them. “These events that used to be one in 100 [years] or one in 500 are happening back-to-back and that really wears down people’s finances … as well as their mental wherewithal,” she said. Read the full story on Bloomberg.com. | 
