Search The Thousands of Disaster Buyouts FEMA
Didn't Want You To See
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/696995788/search-the-thousands-of-disaster-buyouts-fema-didnt-want-you-to-see
For many families, the nightmare of a catastrophic flood
is only just getting started when the waters recede. But that nightmare — one
that has become increasingly
common across the United States — may be worse depending on who you
are.
An NPR investigation found that white communities
nationwide have disproportionately received more federal buyouts after a
disaster than communities of color. Federal disaster aid is allocated based on
a cost-benefit calculation meant to minimize taxpayer risk. That means money is
not necessarily doled out to those who need it most but rather to those whose
property is worth more — and to those who own property in the first place. That
mirrors the existing racial wealth
gap in the United States.
NPR analyzed records from a Federal Emergency Management
Agency database of more than 40,000 property acquisitions, or
"buyouts," funded by the agency from 1989 through 2017. The program
buys homes from eligible homeowners who opt in. It then turns those lots into
open space.
Our analysis shows that most of the buyouts in the FEMA
database happened in neighborhoods that were more than 85 percent white and
non-Hispanic, even though disasters affect all kinds of communities. For
context, the U.S. is 62 percent white and non-Hispanic.
NPR obtained the records after suing FEMA under the
Freedom of Information Act. We then used the five-digit ZIP codes associated
with the property addresses to compare the buyout data with U.S. Census Bureau
data on demographics. We chose Census Bureau data sets that best corresponded
with the time frame of each buyout record.
Some ZIP codes won't come up with many — or any —
records, which could mean that FEMA buyouts didn't happen there during the time
period for which we received records or that those records don't appear in the
database.
But other ZIP codes have hundreds of records. After
Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the database shows, hundreds of households took
buyouts along the East Coast in cities like Manville, N.J. (08835), where part
of our investigation focused. The records indicate hundreds of buyouts after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in places like Pearlington, M.S. (39572), which is
close to where that catastrophic storm made landfall.
Even without including 2017's Hurricane Harvey, records for ZIP codes in
flood-prone Houston (like 77040) show more than 1,600 buyouts dating back to
1995.
The database also includes more than just severe
flooding: A 1998 landslide
resulted in dozens of buyouts in Kelso, Wash. (98626), and in 1991, an ice storm
wreaked havoc across parts of Indiana (46060 and 46952, among
others), according to the database.
Below, you can search for FEMA buyouts in your ZIP code
or any other part of the country. Any records found will be returned with the
most recent ones first. The federal "Fiscal Year" shown can refer to
when the disaster occurred or when federal funds were allocated. You can also
download the entire database.
How Federal Disaster Money Favors The Rich
In the early and mid-20th century, fewer than 20 percent
of U.S. counties experienced a
disaster each year. Today, it's about 50 percent. According to the 2018 National Climate Assessment, climate
change is already driving more severe droughts, floods and wildfires in the
U.S. And those disasters are expensive. The federal government spends
billions of dollars annually helping communities rebuild and prevent future
damage.
But an NPR investigation has found that across the country, white
Americans and those with more wealth often receive more federal dollars after a
disaster than do minorities and those with less wealth. Federal aid
isn't necessarily allocated to those who need it most; it's allocated according
to cost-benefit calculations meant to minimize taxpayer risk.
