HUD proposes to roll back protections, placing vulnerable communities at greater flood risk

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposal to roll back key components of a 2024 rule designed to make affordable housing more resilient to flooding — a disappointing step backwards for an agency that had been a leader in protecting vulnerable communities from climate hazards.

The 2024 rule implemented the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (known as FFRMS), a commonsense policy that required federally funded infrastructure to be built to withstand flood risk throughout its expected useful life. By reversing that policy HUD returns to the days of constructing affordable housing and other infrastructure based on outdated flood data —ignoring the realities of climate change and needlessly increasing flood risks for our housing and communities.

States, tribes, and local governments can and should set higher standards that factor in the more severe flood levels that are becoming the ‘new normal,’ and communities across the South have already implemented responsible building codes and policies to protect homes from flooding. These places will continue to be a model for leaders across the country as they prove that climate-smart policies can be effective and affordable.

“It’s discouraging to see the federal government ignore climate science and put some of our most vulnerable communities at greater risk, especially as we head into hurricane season. Reckless deregulation like this is why we need Congress to step up and pass reasonable emergency management policies,” said SELC Federal Regulatory Director Liz Zepeda.