从洪水易发地区转移人口和房屋可以挽救生命，并帮助社区节省救灾资金。联邦紧急事务管理局为社区提供资金，从有意愿的业主那里购买易受洪水影响的房产，并将其改建为开放空间
从洪水易发地区转移人口和房屋可以挽救生命，并帮助社区节省救灾资金。联邦紧急事务管理局为社区提供资金，从有意愿的业主那里购买易受洪水影响的房产，并将其改建为开放空间
联邦应急管理局通过4个赠款项目承付了110多亿美元，这些项目为2010至2018财年的州和地方减灾工作（例如，提升房屋和建造龙卷风安全室）提供资金。该机构通过两个灾后赠款项目提供了约88%的赠款
联邦应急管理局的拨款已用于收购和拆除易受洪水影响的房产，以帮助减少洪水破坏。减少损失应该会减少或降低联邦应急管理局管理的国家洪水保险计划的索赔成本。但此类房产的数量仍在不断增长，而且该计划仍然没有收取足够的保费来支付长期索赔
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates multiple hazard mitigation assistance (HMA) grant programs as a way to promote a national culture of preparedness and public safety, mitigate the consequences that disasters have for communities and infrastructure, and reduce future draws on the Disaster Relief Fund. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act requires FEMA to ensure that these mitigation activities are cost-effective. To determine cost-effectiveness, FEMA currently requires any project seeking HMA grants to include a benefit–cost analysis (BCA), implemented in accordance with Office of Management and Budget Circular A-94. Applicants for mitigation grants have provided extensive feedback that the BCA process is cumbersome and that finding the right data to include in the calculations of costs and benefits is difficult. FEMA is concerned that the administrative burdens and the costs of application processes could discourage subapplicants with fewer resources from applying or place them at a disadvantage in developing quality applications. Furthermore, two 2021 executive orders direct federal agencies to achieve greater equity and fairness in allocating federal resources. Two HMA grant programs have been selected as pilot programs for the corresponding federalwide Justice40 Initiative. The authors found that FEMA's dual goals of equity and simplicity occasionally compete, that FEMA has the authority to implement recommended changes, and that FEMA's approach to BCA differs from those of other federal entities. The authors identify nine changes that FEMA could implement to address the inequities introduced by the use of BCA in the HMA grant process.
