Step 2: Customize Your Message
{contact_data~title} {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName}, I urge you to restore $10 million for the FloodSmart Homes program in the fiscal year 2024 proposed budget for the DC Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). Flood mitigation can be a monumental financial burden to low-income residents in disinvested neighborhoods. FloodSmart Homes provides cost-effective resilience upgrades to residential structures at highest risk of flooding. The District cannot fulfill its obligation to tackle racial equity and improve the quality of life especially for Black residents if decision-makers fail to evaluate policy decisions and District programs through a racial equity lens and provide available funding. Approximately 1,000 residential buildings (single family homes, apartments, etc.) in the District are located in the 100- and 500-year floodplains. 98% of single family homes within the 100-year floodplain are in Wards 7 and 8, and 82% of the single family homes in the 500-year floodplain are in Wards 7 and 8. Wards 7 and 8 homeowners are especially concerned about the potential cost of flood mitigation. When money for programs such FloodSmart are taken away, it hurts the dignity of residents most vulnerable to climate change and increases the risk of more intense flooding and loss of life and property. It is incumbent upon the District to provide resources to help its most disinvested and underrepresented neighborhoods, especially in Wards 7 and 8, that are most at risk of flooding. That is why I am urging you to restore $10 million for the FloodSmart Homes program and provide DOEE the resources needed to identify flood mitigation costs to homeowners. Sincerely, {user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name} {user_data~Address 1}, {user_data~Address 2} {user_data~City}, {user_data~State or Province} {user_data~ZIP Code}
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