By Mitch Paine, CFM
From December 2016 Floodplain Management Today
During 2016, NeDNR analyzed Nebraska floodplains in order to answer the question “who lives in floodplains?” Having an answer can help plan for flooding, identify vulnerable populations, and prepare for a smoother recovery process. The answer to that question proved surprising and concerning. After examining communities across the state, we found that floodplains play host to a far greater percentage of renters and that people living in floodplains are twice as likely to be Hispanic.
Our analysis focused on comparing Census blocks in the floodplain versus those not in the floodplain within certain communities. We looked at three main components of Census blocks: housing, household structure, and demographics. These components give us a better idea of the structure of the population and how they live within Nebraska’s flood risk areas.
Unique Characteristics of Flooding
Flooding is a unique hazard and affects people and their communities in ways that other natural hazards do not. Flooding causes long-term damage to homes and often to many homes at once. Families may be displaced for months far away from their neighborhoods, schools, and friends. The flooding itself may last for a long period of time too, complicating and delaying clean-up. These characteristics make recovery difficult for those with certain family or living situations. Single parents, for example, will have to juggle maintaining a job, caring for their children, and dealing with a flooded house all at the same time.
Also, many people do not take flooding seriously and have a bias to ignore the risk. Since flooding happens relatively infrequently, many choose to not believe it will happen to them. Thus, far too few people voluntarily purchase flood insurance, which can protect a person’s property from flood damage. Flood insurance also is difficult to understand and deal with, and many people assume that the government will ultimately pay for their property damage. Financial vulnerability to flood damage should concern floodplain managers everywhere.
All of our roles in floodplain management include building community resilience and ensuring that recovery after a flood happens smoothly and quickly. Resilience, in part, means that nobody falls further or more often than anyone else during disasters. Knowing who lives in flood risk zones can help us make more resilient communities.
Renters in Floodplains
In looking at the various characteristics of people living in floodplains, some factors had significant results and some did not. The most significant was the statistic on renting versus owning a property. In non-floodplain areas, around 63% of people own their home, either with a mortgage or free-and-clear, and 37% rent. In floodplain areas, just 49% of people own their home and 51% rent. And in certain communities the percentage of renters is even higher. In Lincoln, nearly 68% of the population in the floodplain rent; in Grand Island and Ogallala that number is 57%; in Papillion it is 70%.
Flood insurance is required for any property with a federally-backed mortgage. So, those who own their home free-and-clear or rent are not required to have flood insurance, and indeed, most do not purchase it. Additionally, it is unlikely that most renters know about the need to purchase a contents-only flood insurance policy. With over 50% of floodplain residents as renters, amounting to over ten thousand households, only about 40 contents-only flood insurance policies are active in Nebraska.
Less than 0.4% of all renters are covered by flood insurance. Renters are often lower income and less able to financially recover after a flood, and yet few renters are actually covered against flood damage. This is a concerning statistic, and communities and emergency managers should be aware.
Other Demographics
The other most significant finding is that the population of floodplain areas has a much higher percentage of those who identify as Hispanic. In non-floodplain areas about 9% are Hispanic, but in floodplain areas that figure is 18%. Again, some communities have an even higher percentage of floodplain residents identifying as Hispanic with Crete at 52%, Fremont at 21%, Madison at nearly 59%, and Schuyler at over 65%, all of which are higher than the total community proportion of those identifying as Hispanic.
This statistic is concerning as well because nearly all of our outreach at the state and local level is conducted in English. While many who identify as Hispanic speak English, there are many who only speak Spanish. Some communities, particularly those listed above, do have outreach efforts in Spanish, but more attention across the state needs to be paid to Hispanic communities who are at risk from flooding.
Other less significant aspects of those who live in floodplains include that these residents are more diverse and more likely to live in nonfamily households.
For more information on your community, please contact Katie Ringland at Katie.Ringland@nebraska.gov or 402-471-2094.
