Fragmentation, Flood Risk, and Rethinking How We Manage Water with Melissa Roberts

What are the challenges communities face when it comes to taking action against flooding?

On this episode of Audacious Water, Melissa Roberts joins John to talk about fragmentation, systemic challenges, and how water really flows. Melissa is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Flood Coalition, where she works with leaders across the country to create local solutions to flood management and pass legislation that helps further flood resilience.

Melissa and John talk about the importance of managing flood risk at scale, what that looks like for communities, and why fragmented water governance makes taking effective action so difficult, even when we know the risks. They also discuss how a new national water strategy could help bring these pieces together and move us toward more coordinated, forward-looking solutions.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

* The challenges local leaders face when trying to act on flood risk

* Why managing water at the watershed level matters more than political boundaries

* How a systems approach helps scale solutions and creates co-benefits

* Why preparedness is far less expensive than disaster response

* What needs to change at the state and federal level to reduce fragmentation

* Why innovation is critical to managing future flood risk

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