A New Vision for Flood Resilience in Appalachia
In November 2025, organizations across seven states, joined together to launch the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition to drive regional collaboration and advocacy in support of policy change and investment needed to create a resilient Appalachia.
One year later, the coalition will release an updated platform titled: “Flood Resilience in Appalachia.”
This platform is directed, in part, at the 120th Congress and details unique challenges faced in Appalachia, as well as concrete recommendations for steps Congress and the federal government can take to support the region.
The four policy pillars in the platform are:
Increasing local and state capacity to respond and recover
Relieving the recovery and mitigation burden for low-income households
Improving flood mapping and data inputs
Investing in nature-based hazard mitigation
This platform is an update to the 2024 platform. That platform was informed by learnings after the devastating July 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky, from surveys from local officials across the Appalachian region, and with support from researchers and community advocates.
Since the 2024 platform was released, Appalachia has experienced a series of destructive flooding events, including Hurricane Helene (September 2024), widespread flooding in Kentucky and West Virginia (February 2025), the Father’s Day floods in West Virginia (June 2025), and major summer floods across Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia (August 2026). These events reinforce the urgency to build a more resilient Appalachia.
Hurricane Helene, in particular, demonstrated the depth of the challenge facing rural, mountainous communities in the region. Catastrophic flooding in parts of central and southern Appalachia, particularly in western North Carolina, destroyed homes and public infrastructure, isolated communities, and placed extraordinary demands on local governments and local emergency response agencies. The storm underscored how Appalachia’s geography, aging infrastructure, local capacity, and patterns of historical development along streams and rivers can exacerbate the consequences of extreme rainfall events. For many rural communities, the disaster did not end when the waters receded; long-term recovery continues even now, as households, businesses, local governments, community organizations, and others navigate the complex federal recovery programs necessary to rebuild.
At this event, speakers will detail findings on the state of disaster resilience in the region, particular weaknesses that must be addressed, and share recommendations for the incoming 120th Congress.
Flood Resilience in Appalachia: Policy Recommendations 2nd Edition Release
Please fill out this form if you would like to be emailed a copy of Flood Resilience in Appalachia: Policy Recommendations 2nd Edition once it’s released.
December 2026 General Meeting
This will be our December 2026 general coalition meeting. All are welcome to attend!
Our general coalition meetings include federal policy updates, coalition progress, & more.
If you’re interested in being included on our listserv and to receive our coalition event links, please email: brendan@aclc.org.
Nature Based-Hazard Mitigation: Approaches for Flood Resiliency in Appalachia
Webinar - Restoring and protecting the land can better protect Appalachian communities from flooding. Explore the problems and solutions that communities can implement.
Responding While Recovering — Storm Recovery Futures Amid Ongoing Disaster
Across Appalachia, many states are navigating the difficult reality of recovering from disasters while preparing for the next one. Increasingly frequent and severe storms are straining local capacity and highlighting the urgent need for stronger disaster recovery frameworks, improved flood mitigation strategies, and state led funding pathways.
This event brings together regional leaders and advocacy organizations from North Carolina – Kristin Stroup , Kentucky – Brendan Muckian-Bates, and West Virginia – Carrie Decker, who are working on the frontlines of disaster recovery and resilience. The discussion will explore the existing challenges from extreme weather events that each state is facing, how organizations are translating data into policy action, advancing recovery strategies that reduce future risk, and advocating for investments that support long-term resilience
Date: August 4, 2026 Time: 2:00–3:00 PM ET
RSVP HERE
July 2026 - General Meeting
This will be our July 2026 general coalition meeting. All are welcome to attend!
Our general coalition meetings include federal policy updates, coalition progress, & more.
If you’re interested in being included on our listserv and to receive our coalition event links, please email: brendan@aclc.org.
Webinar: Ten Years After - The Lasting Impacts of the 2016 West Virginia Floods and the Path Forward
This webinar will examine the long-term social, environmental, and economic impacts of the devastating 2016 floods in West Virginia.
This webinar will focus on what often gets overlooked – the prolonged recovery challenges faced by communities and the lessons learned for building climate resilience in Appalachia.
May 2026 - General Coalition Meeting
This will be our May 2026 general coalition meeting. All are welcome to attend!
Our general coalition meetings include federal policy updates, coalition progress, & more.
If you’re interested in being included on our listserv and to receive our coalition event links, please email: brendan@aclc.org.
Webinar: Tracking the Changes to FEMA and its Impact in the Appalachian Region
Join us to discuss a new report that overviews how the Trump administration’s drastic overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and cuts to flood resilience programs have impacted Appalachian communities.
The report includes a timeline which details key administrative, legislative, and legal setbacks from 2025 that hastened FEMA’s now precarious state in 2026. The report also finds a pattern of declining federal support consistent with our previous Federal Funding Flatline reports: FEMA investments peaked under the Biden administration but then fell sharply after intentional cutbacks by the Trump administration.
This report is part of our ongoing work to track the impacts of federal policy changes on the Appalachian region. You can see previous reports on our resources page.
Appalachian Flood Policy Webinar
Numerous studies have confirmed what we already know: flooding in Appalachia is getting worse, and our communities are incredibly vulnerable. An unstable federal landscape is creating new uncertainties. Now is the time to join together and advocate for solutions that will lead to safer, more resilient communities.
The Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition, in partnership with Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, ReImagine Appalachia, Appalachian Voices and the National Wildlife Federation are joining on Thursday, December 4 at 1 pm ET for a public webinar discussing Appalachia flood policy.
In November, eighteen organizations across seven states helped launch a new Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition, to drive stronger regional collaboration and advocacy in support of federal flood-related policies and investments. As we wrap up the year, we’ll celebrate the Coalition’s launch, share stories of flood impacts and solutions, in Appalachia, and look ahead to 2026 priorities for flooding policy that supports a more resilient Appalachia.
Specific topics that will be covered at this event include:
Federal legislation, including the FY26 Appropriations process, The FEMA Act, The CLEAR Act and The ROAD to Housing Act
Updates on regional work, including nature based hazard mitigation, flood monitoring and tracking, and Helene recovery.
Discussion and opportunities on how you can get more involved in shaping solutions for flood resiliency in Appalachia.
Appalachia Flood Policy Call
This is our regular bi-monthly policy coalition call for November 2025.
Interested in joining the coalition? Reach out here.
Appalachia Flood Policy Call
This is our regular bi-monthly policy coalition call for September 2025.
Interested in joining the coalition? Reach out here.
Appalachia Flood Policy Call
This is our regular bi-monthly policy coalition call for July 2025.
Interested in joining the coalition? Reach out here.