From The Washington Post – The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a request for information Tuesday to guide how it would update the National Flood Insurance Program’s flood plain management standards, which have not been changed substantially since 1976. It is also seeking input on better protecting the habitats and populations of threatened and endangered species in the face of these risks. FEMA’s request for input comes less than two weeks after the agency raised rates for many homeowners living in flood-prone areas, factoring climate risk into its policy premiums for the first time. The future impacts could be large; a report from the First Street Foundation released Monday showed that the effects of climate change will place 1.2 million additional residential properties at serious risk of flooding over the next 30 years. Some states and localities have developed their own flood mapping to guide building policies; a July report from the Government Accountability Office found that many of FEMA’s flood-plain maps are outdated and do not reflect how climate change may affect flood risk. (more)