WASHINGTON — Flood maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are out of date and understate the risks to homes and businesses from flooding and extreme rain triggered by climate change, FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said.
Those risks are in focus after flooding in Jackson, Mississippi, overwhelmed the city’s main water treatment plant a week ago, leaving more than 150,000 residents of the region without safe water. Criswell said there’s no timeline for restoring service to Jackson, the capital city.
“I think the part that’s really difficult right now is the fact that our flood maps don’t take into account excessive rain that comes in,” Criswell said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “And we are seeing these record rainfalls that are happening.”
