[Extract] "We come in on a Disaster's Survivor's Worst Day!" - Nick Shufro - FIMA - a podcast by Antoine Walter

Nick Shufrois Deputy Assistant Administrator at the Federal Insurance & Mitigation Administration. The Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and a range of programs designed to mitigate against future losses from all hazards, including floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.

If you recall my conversation with John Robinson some weeks ago, we discussed how we often feel the impact of Climate Change through water. And yes, water scarcity will be a major challenge in the coming decades - it already is a challenge. But the other end of the spectrum probably doesn't get all the attention it deserves.

Too little water is a problem. But too much water is probably even more of a risk! As I'm recording this introduction in early October 2022, the World still has the very pregnant images of one-third of Pakistan being underwater. And hurricane Ian still threatens Florida and many other places in the region.

But as the European example showed, we humans have a strong capacity to forget about those crises and be surprised again when they return. Summer 2021 was all about floods, Summer 2022 was all about water scarcity, and we sometimes get lost.

But what can we do about it? Actually, quite a lot. Pre-disaster mitigation is a vast toolbox with many options to reduce the impact of events we can't avoid or prevent from happening. Yet, pre-disaster mitigation is also often doomed. We wish we would have done more when it's too late.

So, the message of administrations like the one Nick represents today is one to be heard, especially when there's no flood on the horizon, and we're all deeply convinced it will never happen to us.

I'll leave the floor to Nick to quickly take us through the topic in just a second; the time for me to remind you that if you like what you hear, you can help me tremendously by sharing that episode around you. 

Please tell your friends, colleagues, or LinkedIn network what they should take home from the nuggets Nick shares today, and if you don't like what you hear, please reach out to me and tell me what I should be doing differently or better. Come on, do it, and I'll meet you on the other side. 

Pre-Disaster Mitigation Needs to Quickly Ramp  Up in the US. Will it?

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Website of Antoine Walter