EDITORIAL: Federal aid for Lake Ontario flood disaster is welcome
It's well accepted that it is Washington's job to help when natural disasters strike, whether it is a hurricane in
Nevertheless, an important question arises for the future as climate change exerts ever greater influence in predictably threatened areas. Knowing with near certainty that the number and severity of storms will increase and that water levels are going to rise, there needs to be a re-evaluation of taxpayers' liability.
That rethinking may conclude that changes will range between unneeded and significant, but the inescapable fact is that those costs are going to rise and it will be necessary to delineate responsibility. That's true whether it's
Indeed, that is the reason it was appropriate for
That counts for a good start on what
Still under review are similar declarations for
Going forward, the question that needs to be asked is what the continuing role of government should be, given the great likelihood that climate change will produce more seasons like this one. How often should taxpayers be asked to rebuild areas that could routinely be washed away?
There won't be an easy answer. Rising water levels affect not only areas such as
There is also the problem of hurricanes. Should any re-evaluation also take in coastal areas that could be wiped out by these storms? They, too, are expected to become what they were this year: more frequent and more fierce. How is the nation going to protect those areas and fund their recoveries?
These are important matters to consider, since they are either upon us already or directly ahead. One approach is to prepare now for a future of rising waters, and that is another of the benefits of the administration's disaster declaration: It makes the state eligible for federal funding for hazard mitigation projects on a cost-sharing basis.
The world is changing and the country needs to prepare for it. It also needs to help those in trouble today. Collins, Schumer and the Trump administration did well by their constituents with the federal disaster declaration.
___
(c)2017 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Open Enrollment Underway For Ambetter From Magnolia Health
Assurant Inc. Files SEC Form 8-K, Current Report: (Nov. 2, 2017)
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News