Susan Crawford

1 month ago | susanpcrawford.substack.com | Susan Crawford

Any toddler knows—or quickly learns—that if you build a sandcastle on a beach and fill its moat with favorite toys a wave will come along and wreak destruction. Well, think of US coastal communities as magnificent, intricately built networks of sandy structures. For decades, we have been building homes, businesses, and infrastructure, all packed closely together and crammed with treasures. That "value accumulation" leads to very high claims when storms or flooding arrive.

1 month ago | susanpcrawford.substack.com | Susan Crawford

The buildup of risk being caused by our nationwide reluctance to deal with the consequences of climate change is becoming more obvious. The bill will likely end up being paid by ordinary Americans, and particularly people who live in cities. It turns out that 2015 was an important year for the intersection of climate change and finance.

1 month ago | revkin.substack.com | Samantha Montano |Susan Crawford

The post and discussion of disaster justice with “disasterologist” below originally ran in November 2024. But it must be revisited now that Team Trump has cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities progam, or BRIC - the biggest source of federal support for cutting vulnerability to disaster-generating hazards where the need is greatest. The program was created in the first Trump term and greatly expanded by President Biden.

2 months ago | susanpcrawford.substack.com | Susan Crawford

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2 months ago | susanpcrawford.substack.com | Susan Crawford

Cities in America face a high-heeled climb: How do you pay for climate adaptation efforts—updating stormwater infrastructure, retrofitting existing buildings to meet modern building codes, moving homes out of harm's way—in the absence of federal assistance or local political support? The picture grew gloomier this week with news that one of the few federal programs supporting pre-disaster work will be shuttered.