What Is the Strong Towns Response to Natural Disasters?
Oct 16, 2024
auto_awesome
The hosts tackle the challenging concept of managed retreat, highlighting the struggles of relocating communities from disaster-prone areas. They explore Hurricane Helen's aftermath in North Carolina, drawing comparisons to Hurricane Katrina and emphasizing community resilience. The discussion also delves into the limitations of current disaster management strategies and the fragile insurance landscape during crises. Innovative solutions and proactive planning are deemed essential as climate risks escalate and urban recovery becomes increasingly complex.
Managed retreat aims to relocate populations at risk from natural disasters, but current government efforts are significantly insufficient.
The emotional ties to homes complicate relocation efforts, necessitating a balance between risk mitigation and community attachment in disaster responses.
Deep dives
Upcoming Local Motive Training Sessions
A series of local motive training sessions is scheduled to start on September 12th, aimed at equipping advocates with essential tools for enhancing their communities. The workshops will take place every Thursday at 12 p.m. Central and cover a range of topics including safe school transportation, housing investments that support neighborhoods, and the concept of 'third places' through tactical urbanism. These sessions will feature guest speakers from various organizations like Better Block and Blue Zones, alongside presentations from Strongtown staff. Attendees can choose to participate in individual sessions or purchase a round trip ticket for access to all eight workshops.
Responding to Recent Disasters
The discussion highlights the ongoing recovery efforts in areas affected by recent disasters, such as Hurricane Helen, emphasizing the community's resilience amidst devastating challenges. Residents in regions like Asheville, North Carolina face dire circumstances, still without basic utilities like power and water days after the hurricane struck. The conversation draws parallels between the immediate impact of these disasters and the long-term effects seen after previous events, like Hurricane Katrina, which took years for the area to fully recover. This situation underscores the complexities of disaster response and the need for communities to come together to support one another during crises.
Challenges of Managed Retreat Strategies
The article highlights the concept of managed retreat in response to threats from climate change, estimating that over 20 million Americans may need to relocate by 2100 due to rising sea levels and other risks. Current government efforts have struggled to effectively relocate affected populations, having only moved around 50,000 individuals over the last 40 years at a significant cost. This slow and reactive approach lacks the scale necessary for the impending challenges, as it would take centuries to enact current strategies aimed at moving populations. A suggestion is made for proactive and localized strategies that involve partnerships with communities and private sectors to facilitate safer relocations on a more manageable timeline.
Insurance and Economic Considerations
The conversation delves into the role of insurance in managing risk associated with natural disasters, emphasizing the mismatch between government approaches and the realities faced by insurance companies. In instances of widespread disaster, insurance markets may collapse, leaving communities without support and highlighting the ineffectiveness of purely relying on government buyouts. Participants discuss the emotional and economic ties individuals have to their homes and communities, complicating relocation efforts. There is a consensus that a more realistic approach to mitigating risks involves understanding human attachment to places while also preparing for potential losses, fostering adaptability rather than enforcing strict rebuilding standards.
Editor's Note: We are deeply saddened to see the damage Hurricane Helene has done to Western North Carolina. Please see the additional notes for ways you can help.
In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss managed retreat, where the federal government buys land from people to encourage them to move away from areas at high risk for natural disaster. According to the article, to actually move the necessary amount of people, the government needs to increase its efforts by a factor of 200.
Chuck and Abby talk about the issues with this method of natural disaster management, as well as other common approaches like rebuilding disaster areas to be more fortified, and share their thoughts on alternative responses to natural disasters.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Ways to help Western North Carolina, suggested by Local Conversations in the area: