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Andrew Rumbach

@andrewrumbach.bsky.social

9K followers 1K following 3.8K posts

Urban & regional scientist. Co-lead of the Climate & Communities program @urbaninstitute. Research & policy analysis on disasters, disaster recovery, precarious housing, land use, and adaptation. Sourdough enthusiast. https://andrewrumbach.substack.com

andrewrumbach.substack.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · Feb 6

We have talked about how zoning constrains housing supply, but what about climate resilience? In this new brief, our team at @urbaninstitute.bsky.social and @sarabronin.bsky.social pilot a technical approach for measuring zoning's relationship to risk and resilience: www.urban.org/research/pub...

Zoned Into Risk?

Climate-driven hazards such as floods and wildfires are growing more frequent and more severe, affecting communities across the United States. Zoning is one tool available to local governments to redu...

www.urban.org

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 2d

This investigation is bananas: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

How some veterans exploit $193 billion VA program, due to lax controls

The Department of Veterans Affairs spends billions on dubious and even fraudulent disabilities benefits. Meanwhile, some deserving cases wait.

www.washingtonpost.com

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 5d

God I love Pete Crow-Armstrong

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 6d

My kids love calling it “L’Enfart plaza” and then laughing uproariously

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 6d

This is a tremendous piece of reporting from the @latimes.com on community & housing recovery after California wildfires. The reporters (including @liamjdillon.com) have done an incredible job investigating the complex drivers of uneven recovery locally: www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 7d

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 8d

Sharing a guest link to a vital piece of reporting from @thewallstreet.bsky.social about the on-the-ground realities stemming from upheaval at FEMA and what seems from the outside like a 'build as you fly' approach to agency reform:

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

FEMA Is Paralyzed. Disaster-Torn Communities Are Paying the Price.

St. Louis’s tornado was months ago, but it’s still waiting for hundreds of millions in federal recovery funds to arrive. It’s part of Trump’s plan to shift responsibility to the states and shrink the ...

www.wsj.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 8d

I spoke with @issielapowsky.bsky.social at the @nytimes.com about an important experiment in post-disaster housing happening Maui. Ka La‘i Ola will provide transitional housing for hundreds of wildfire survivors, then convert to permanent housing and infrastructure. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/h...

Hawaii’s Tiny Homes Offer a New Model of Disaster Recovery

www.nytimes.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 9d

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Millions Could Lose Housing Aid Under Trump Plan

Drafts of unpublished rules obtained by ProPublica detail plans that would open the door to full-time work requirements, two-year limits on living in federally supported housing and stripping aid from...

www.propublica.org

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 10d

I’ll be speaking on Monday at the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment at Princeton. Hope to see you there! cpree.princeton.edu/events/2025/...

Aligning Evidence for Impact: Disaster Research in an Era of Federal Retrenchment

Andrew Rumbach, PhD, is a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, a non-profit and non-partisan policy research organization in Washington DC. Rumbach's research focuses on household and community risk ...

cpree.princeton.edu

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 11d

I wonder how long Sean Penn worked on his walk for this film

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 11d

Guys I don’t think our strategy of squishing all the lantern flies is working

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 12d

When social capital researchers talk about the importance of bridging capital for resilience, this isn't what they had in mind: www.propublica.org/article/kris...

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...

www.propublica.org

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 12d

Full AAR here: file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos...

file.lacounty.gov

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 12d

First major after action review of the LA fire response finds "no single point of failure" in alerts, notifications, warnings and evacuations, but many areas of weakness that dragged down performance. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...

L.A. Wildfire Evacuations Were Slowed by Poor Visibility and System Weaknesses

www.nytimes.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 12d

Need a quick primer on climate change and the supercharging of climate extremes? Share this:

www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-undeni...

The undeniable science of extreme weather

Dr. Kevin Trenberth explains how global warming is supercharging droughts, floods, and storms

www.theclimatebrink.com

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 13d

Terrific investigation by the @houstonchronicle.com finds that 20% of residential properties built since Harvey in greater Houston are in a mapped floodplain, 57,000 in-all. www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...

65K Houston-area properties have been built in floodplains since Hurricane Harvey

Houston’s relentless push into new suburbs has overlooked flood risks, putting tens of thousands of families in harm’s way.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 13d

Jesus H. Christ 😡https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/09/24/fema-administrator-david-richardson-texas-floods/

As Texas flooded, key staff say FEMA’s leader could not be reached

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s acting administrator, David Richardson, is often inaccessible, several current and former officials say, raising concerns within the agency.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 14d

Twenty years after Katrina, what is fixed? What is still broken? Where are we headed? I joined @americaadapts.bsky.social to discuss these questions and the work we are doing at the @urbaninstitute.bsky.social on disasters, recovery and community resilience:

www.americaadapts.org/episodes/20-...

20 Years After Hurricane Katrina: The Fixes, the Failures and What’s at Risk Again with Dr. Andrew Rumbach — AMERICA ADAPTS The Climate Change Podcast

20 Years After Hurricane Katrina: The Fixes, the Failures and What’s at Risk Again with Dr. Andrew Rumbach. Ep. 237.

www.americaadapts.org

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 16d

A quick summary of the major legislation that passed out of the Texas legislative section related to the Central Texas floods: open.substack.com/pub/andrewru...

Weekend Policy Roundup: Texas Passes New Laws in Response to the Hill Country Disaster

Legislation emphasizes land-use protections, warning systems, and preparedness

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Andrew Rumbach

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 17d

Lemme spell it out. Trump's only leverage over Jimmy Kimmel and ABC came from FCC regulation. His direct power over H1-B visas gives him similar leverage over tech, higher ed, and others.

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 17d

Critical part of the President's new $100,000 charge for H1-B visas: The Administration can also offer a $100,000 discount to any person, company, or industry that it wants. Replacing rules with arbitrary discretion.

Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 21d

Sourdough post of the week: spelt flour is pretty

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 22d

100% but really maybe it is more about a lack of diversity in amenity based local economies

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 22d

Occasional reminder that Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a story about crushing NIMBYs

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Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 22d

Does anyone know why preliminary damage assessment reports are no longer available on FEMA's website? Very much hoping this is temporary... www.fema.gov/om/media-col...

Preliminary Damage Assessment Reports

This page contains Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) Reports for Major Disaster Declaration Requests (DR) beginning with Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1, 2007). These reports contain information gathered during the Preliminary Damage Assessment process and published here 30 days after a determination is made on a request or an appeal. View the Preliminary Damage Assessment Guide. Search the Reports

www.fema.gov

Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 25d

Update: Wisconsin receives major disaster declaration - www.wisn.com/article/trum...

Trump approves $29.8M in disaster aid for Wisconsin flood recovery

President Trump has approved $29.8 million in federal aid to support Wisconsin's recovery from August's historic floods as Milwaukee continues addressing severe damage.