FEMA announced the first designation of Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZs) that are the most at risk to disasters, as required under the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022. The selected 483 census tracts can now receive additional federal cost-share for projects, and receive prioritized access to federal funding for resilience and mitigation projects. Public and private resources including technical and financial support, as well as the federal funds, can be made available to these most at-risk and in-need communities.
Prior to designating the CDRZs, FEMA requested public comment on implementing the Act, including which data and methodology to rely on. FEMA also relied on the National Risk Index to identify the most at-risk underserved communities for the resilience zones. While each state and the District of Columbia has at least one designated zone within their borders, FEMA has yet to announce additional designations that include tribal lands and territories. FEMA plans to continuously engage with the public to refine its natural hazard risk assessment methodology that is used to designate the zones. See the zones mapped on FEMA’s website.