Key Facts

• Massachusetts once expected about 26% of its climate funding from the federal government but now gets less than 1%.
• Massachusetts had to raise its own funds after floods in 2023 because it did not qualify for federal aid.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has increased review times and denial rates for emergency relief funds in the past decade.
• Vermont was once considered safe from climate risks but recent floods have changed that view.
• Rising disaster and repair costs threaten the economic health of towns, especially in southern Florida where property taxes fund local services.
• Massachusetts and Vermont are focusing on rebuilding stronger after disasters to reduce future damage.
• Measuring the effectiveness of resilience efforts is difficult because there is no clear return on investment yet.
• Some projects, like one in the Connecticut River Basin, track flooding to provide data for managing risk.