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Natural Hazards

Analysis of the first round of Community Wildfire Defense Grants

May 2023

Smoke rises from a hillside above a community in Utah's Wasatch Valley.

An independent analysis by Headwaters Economics shows that the first round of funding from the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program prioritized high-risk, low-income communities.

Decreasing flood risk in the Midwest with regional collaborations

May 2023

A regional approach to flood risk can help communities pool resources and implement effective solutions. Five case studies offer lessons.

Building for wildfire

April 2023

In this video produced by Headwaters Economics, homeowner Brodey Simkins describes the tragedy of losing his home to wildfire and his commitment to rebuilding with wildfire in mind.

Wildfire safety standards for Montana

April 2023

A wildfire smolders around a house in the forest. Smoke rises above the charred landscape.

Statewide wildfire safety standards are proven and cost effective. Montana can adopt standards to help make communities safer from increasing wildfire risks.

Match requirements prevent rural and low-capacity communities from accessing climate resilience funding

January 2023

Illustration of money falling into piles over a puddle

Many federal grant programs require communities to provide a local match, creating barriers for rural and underserved places.

New research shows where wildfire mitigation can be highly cost effective

January 2023

Illustration of wildfire in forest, orange and yellow flames lapping conifer trees on a hillside, Stable Diffusion generated.

The United States is spending billions of dollars on suppressing wildfires that threaten a growing number of homes, but very little on better preparing communities before a wildfire occurs.

Green Infrastructure: Cost-effective solutions to flooding

September 2022

Green infrastructure can provide long-term, cost-effective solutions to flooding and can help communities adapt to climate change. We provide a cost breakdown for eight green infrastructure practices.

Yellowstone Flood reveals Montana’s mobile home flood risk

August 2022

Montana’s mobile home residents face disproportionate flood risk and traditional solutions leave them behind.

Capacity-limited states still struggle to access FEMA BRIC grants

August 2022

Places with lower capacity are failing to get funding through FEMA’s flagship grant program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).

Construction costs for a wildfire-resistant home: California edition

July 2022

In light of rising wildfire risks, we analyzed the costs of constructing homes to three levels of wildfire resistance in California.

Wood roofs are a $6 billion wildfire problem

July 2022

At least 1.2 million wood roofs are in areas with wildfire risk. Funding is needed to help communities prepare for wildfire.

Local revenue to fund long-term infrastructure costs

May 2022

Communities need resilient revenue strategies to fund the long-term costs of capital improvements and infrastructure.

Mobile home residents face higher flood risk

February 2022

Mobile homes are the most common unsubsidized, affordable housing in the United States but have disproportionately higher flood risk than other housing types.

Improving benefit-cost analyses for rural areas

November 2021

Benefit-cost analysis, required for many federal funding sources, puts smaller, rural, and low-income communities at a disadvantage.

The unequal impacts of wildfire

September 2021

Aerial view of neighborhood destroyed by wildfire.

See where wildfire risk intersects social and economic factors that can make it difficult for people to prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire.

Mountain, Midwest, and Gulf States fail to secure FEMA resilience funding

July 2021

Bridge at South Manhattan Ave

Rural and lower capacity communities failed to successfully compete for FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funding in FY 2020.

Living with wildfire

May 2021

Watch “Living with wildfire.” Wildfires are an inescapable and necessary function of healthy ecosystems. In the past decade they have increased in severity and duration, killed more people, and burned more structures.

How state and local budgets are vulnerable to climate change

May 2021

Flooding in Austin, Minnesota. Photo: Tim Ruzek

Climate change has the potential to destabilize general operating budgets and constrain access to lending markets. These presentations share promising solutions for “climate-proofing” budgets.

Wildland-Urban Interface: The Problem, Trends, & Solutions (slides)

February 2021

Slide show: The wildland-urban interface is growing and wildfires are causing cause more damage. Land use planning is an important solution.

Decreasing flood risk in rural communities: a pilot program in Three Forks, Montana

February 2021

Flood risk is underestimated in the U.S., but better maps and data are not enough to help communities. They must be accompanied with resources to support local action.

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