Federal Support for the Mississippi River Protects Lives & Livelihoods

Flooding along the Mississippi River, Iowa | Governor Kim Reynold's office

The Mississippi is “America’s River,” flowing 2,350 miles through the nation’s heartland, providing drinking water for 20 million people and supporting vital agriculture, industry, and recreation. But frequent and severe floods are threatening lives and businesses, while the river’s health declines. Communities along the river need significant support for disaster prevention and response, as well as river restoration – but the fate of the lead federal agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), hangs in the balance.

Flooding is the most costly and common natural disaster across the United States and certainly within the Mississippi River Basin. Increasingly frequent and severe floods have damaged homes, businesses, and agriculture, and pose an ongoing threat to public safety and clean water. Mississippi River communities require local, state, and federal agencies to work together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from floods.

While improvements are needed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of flood management at FEMA and other agencies, these changes must be made thoughtfully and be informed by flood management professionals. Making reckless and abrupt changes to federal flood management agencies puts the health of the Mississippi River at risk and jeopardizes the clean water and safety of those who live along and depend on it.

Please join us in urging the Trump Administration, Secretary Noem, Secretary Hegseth, and the FEMA Review Council to prioritize flood and disaster relief during their review of the agency, while also ensuring the health of rivers and streams that are necessary for healthy communities to thrive. Core federal capabilities that must be maintained and improved include: providing publicly available data related to flood risks, modernizing floodplain development standards to ensure riverside investments are resilient to flooding, and improving granting efficiencies to help communities improve their resilience to floods faster.

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FEMA Review Council

FEMA

Dear President Trump, Secretary Noem, Secretary Hegseth, and FEMA Review Council,

Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster that threatens communities in the Mississippi River Basin and along rivers throughout the United States. I am writing to request that as you take a much-needed review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you ensure that the federal government maintains a robust role in supporting communities and states in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters like floods.

The Mississippi River flows through ten states, with nearly 20 million people relying on it as the source of water for domestic and industrial use. The Mississippi River supports a shipping industry worth approximately $400 billion annually, and its broad, rich floodplain is vital to U.S. agriculture. It also drives a vibrant outdoor recreation economy that supports more than 400,000 jobs and generates approximately $25 billion annually.

Increasingly frequent and severe floods have damaged homes, businesses, and agriculture, and pose an ongoing threat to public safety and clean water. The 2019 flood along the Mississippi River inundated communities for over 100 days. And the combined cost of flooding to the United States throughout the Mississippi River Basin was an estimated $20 billion and a dozen lives were lost.

FEMA plays an essential role in reducing flood risk, improving the safety of communities, and reducing the costs of future floods. Everyone can agree that improvements can be made to make FEMA more effective and capable. But these improvements must be made thoughtfully to avoid drastic and abrupt changes that will shift an unsustainable burden onto states and communities, while putting millions of Americans at risk.

As the Review Council develops their recommendations, I urge you to retain and strengthen FEMA’s core federal capabilities including: 
- Providing publicly available data related to flood risks and improving the accuracy of flood maps
- Modernize floodplain development standards to align with current engineering standards and ensure investments are resilient to flooding, and 
- Maintain robust investments in pre- and post- disaster mitigation grants and improve granting efficiencies to make communities safe before a flood hits, and recover faster after.

As extreme weather brings more flooding to river communities, a more effective and efficient FEMA is essential to helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from floods, while supporting a healthy and thriving Mississippi River.

Thank you for your consideration of these issues, and for protecting the lives and livelihoods that depend on a healthy Mississippi River.

Sincerely,

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