Homes are falling into the ocean. FEMA rules may reward the mess : NPR

Key Points:

• Richard Foreman's beachfront home in Rodanthe, North Carolina, is stranded on stilts with no access due to severe erosion and rising sea levels, making it uninhabitable and at risk of collapse.
• More than 100 homes on North Carolina's barrier islands face similar threats from erosion and sea level rise, with at least six in imminent danger, yet federal flood insurance policies incentivize homeowners to wait for collapse before receiving payouts.
• The National Flood Insurance Program previously allowed pre-collapse payouts to demolish or move threatened homes under the Upton-Jones Amendment, but it was repealed in 1994 due to concerns about cost and misuse; a bipartisan bill to reinstate a revised version is currently stalled in Congress.
• Local officials and homeowners express frustration with FEMA's policies, noting that waiting for homes to collapse leads to environmental hazards and costly debris cleanup, while alternatives like beach nourishment and seawalls offer only temporary relief.
• Experts warn that the accelerating erosion and sea level rise on the East Coast make it increasingly impractical to maintain homes in vulnerable locations, emphasizing the need for proactive policies and long-term solutions to address climate change impacts on coastal communities.