Exploring Community Flood Impacts, Vulnerabilities, and Adaptation Strategies to Public Health Concerns

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of floods, posing serious threats to lives, livelihoods, and the future of affected communities. To explore opportunities to prevent and mitigate inequitable health impacts from flooding, the National Academies Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI) organized a workshop on March 13 and 18, 2024, titled Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity: Exploring Flood Adaptation Strategies to Support Health Equity. The workshop was the fourth in a series of EHMI events exploring the state of knowledge on climate-related health disparities. Through presentations, shared stories, and interactive discussions, participants explored health risks posed by flooding events, effective adaptation strategies for community resilience and climate adaptation, and ways to foster partnerships among government, academia, and the private sector to implement these strategies both locally and regionally.