Decision Analysis: Flood Risk and Federal Funding
Leads: Adam Pollack, Sara Santamaria-Aguilar
Counselors: Klaus Keller, Thomas Wahl
In this project, Adam Pollack researches how the concept of equity, commonly referenced in climate adaptation funding guidelines, is understood and measured in flood-risk management. He collaborates with fellow MACH researcher Sara Santamaria-Aguilar, whose expertise is in flood modeling, to examine how well FEMA’s implementation of the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative met its stated objectives for equitably reducing flood risks in a financially stressed municipality. By integrating insights from across engineering, statistics, philosophy, and economics, the team found that the current implementation overlooked households with the highest risk burdens. They identified simple funding rules that do better in terms of both economic and equity objectives. This work aims to support decision-makers seeking to allocate limited climate adaptation funds in ways that are both fair and cost-effective.
To learn about other decision analysis research efforts guided by Pollack, check out these other MACH projects:
- Decision Analysis: Designing Storm Drainage Systems
- Decision Analysis: Coastal Protection Strategies
- Eric's Forsythe project
Other Projects in the Adaptation Strategy Design Focus Area
Products
Publications
Pollack, A. B., Santamaria-Aguilar, S., Maduwantha, P., Helgeson, C., Wahl, T., & Keller, K. (2025). Funding rules that promote equity in climate adaptation outcomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(2), e2418711121.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2418711121
Pollack, A. B., Helgeson, C., Kousky, C., & Keller, K. (2024). Developing more useful equity measurements for flood-risk management. Nature Sustainability, 7, 823 - 832.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01345-3