85% favor requirement that federally funded structures are designed to better withstand flooding, poll shows
As Congress considers devoting hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars toward upgrading the nation’s roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure, an overwhelming majority of Americans—85%—endorse requiring that federally funded structures in flood-prone areas be designed to better withstand flooding. Additionally, according to a poll released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, 83% of Americans support providing communities and states with pre-disaster grants to upgrade roadways so they can better withstand harsh weather.
After a year of significant flooding across much of the Midwest, these numbers show robust support among Americans for stronger flood policies. 68% of Americans support spending more upfront to build or repair infrastructure in ways that increase resilience beyond a state of good working condition.
The support for resilient investments crosses the political spectrum and every region of the country, as does the concern—expressed by 74% of poll respondents—that the number of extreme weather events—storms, floods, excessive heat, and wildfires—will increase over the next decade.
Americans wish that Congress would heed the opinions of the more than 8 out of 10 Americans who want our nation’s roadways built to withstand extreme weather.
One proposal supported by Pew is to establish a pre-disaster transportation program that would provide localities with grants to improve the ability of roadways to withstand extreme weather which would help improve the resiliency of vulnerable and repeatedly damaged assets before the next storm.
PROOF to take to Congress would be from a May 2018 ISCP article titled “States Taking Note: CRCP Roadways Proven Resilient After Record Hurricane Flooding in Texas”:
After Hurricane Harvey broke the US record for rainfall from a single storm dumping more than 51 inches of rain (CNN News) in and around the Houston, Texas area in August, 2017, the floodwaters slowly receded to reveal one positive sign: the Texas DOT freeway system within the city was intact. Survival of that infrastructure points to the high resiliency of continuously reinforced concrete paving (CRCP) after flooding and other disasters, says Elizabeth Lukefahr, Executive Director-Texas Concrete Pavement Association (TCPA) and former Concrete and Concrete Pavement Engineer-Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). “When the waters receded, other than cleaning up debris, there was no repair of any (CRCP) section of Texas DOT’s pavements in the city that were flooded,” says Lukefahr.
For the article titled “Overwhelming Majority of Americans Support Spending More for Flood-Ready Infrastructure” written by Forbes Tompkins, A Manager-The Pew Charitable Trusts’ flood-prepared communities initiative, please go to: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/02/24/overwhelming-majority-of-americans-support-spending-more-for-flood-ready-infrastructure
The Pew Charitable Trusts are driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and invigorate civic life. The Pew Charitable Trusts uses evidence-based, nonpartisan analysis to solve today’s challenges.
For the article titled “States Taking Note: CRCP Roadways Proven Resilient After Record Hurricane Flooding in Texas”, please go to: https://www.concretepavements.org/2018/05/10/states-taking-note-crcp-roadways-proved-resilient-after-record-category-4-hurricane-harvey-flooded-texas/
Home photo: September 19, 2019 flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda blocks traffic on Highway 69 North in Houston, Texas. Investing in resilient infrastructure can help make roadways less prone to flooding.