Overview

• Post-storm assessments count nearly 2,000 deaths, about 80% of the city inundated, and roughly $205 billion in federal repair costs.
• The $14.5 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System and clearer warnings have lowered some danger, yet levees and barriers only reduce rather than eliminate flood risk.
• Subsidence and sea-level rise compound threats from extreme downpours, with urban drainage upgrades lagging and federal maps and design standards slow to reflect evolving hazards.
• Maintenance funding trails construction outlays, and despite FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 overhaul, flood insurance uptake and affordability remain weak.
• Recovery policies have favored homeowners as renters faced shrinking affordable options, and Ida in 2021 exposed power-grid fragility with microgrids still limited to pilots.