Managed retreat buyouts offer lessons for success

New research finds government buyouts of homes in floodplains have often lacked transparency. This could deter residents from participating in managed retreat, one of the main strategies for adapting to areas becoming more flood-prone, Stanford researcher suggests. Imagine a major storm hits your neighborhood and the government offers to purchase homes with "a history of flood damage." Your basement is completely flooded. Will you qualify for the buyout? What about your neighbors? This beach house in Mantoloking, New Jersey, was destroyed when Hurricane Sandy swept over the region in 2012. A new study analyzes the implementation of U.S. programs to purchase homes in floodplains as a climate adaptation strategy. (Image credit: iStock) Relocating residents from areas vulnerable to flooding, known as "managed retreat," is a potentially important approach for helping communities at risk of losing their homes to coastal erosion and natural disasters. But a closer look at the government's past buyouts reveals a major weakness in the process: lack of transparency.