A federal task force put forward a post-Hurricane Sandyresiliency plan, which includes 69 policy initiatives protectingenergy and fuel distribution, cell service and infrastructure in afuture where severe coastal storms are the norm.

The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force is chaired by Secretaryof Housing and Urban Development and involves the heads of morethan 20 U.S. executive departments and agencies such as Treasury,Energy, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services.

“This work will help protect communities in the region whenfuture disasters take place,” said Housing and Urban Developmentsecretary Shaun Donovan in the program's outline, which waspublished Monday. “We know that every dollar we spend today onhazard mitigation saves us at least $4 in avoided costs if adisaster strikes again. By building more resilient regions, we cansave billions in taxpayer dollars.”

The outline states Hurricane Sandy caused the New York and NewJersey regions between $20 billion and $50 billion in economicdamage from power outages, fuel shortages, and transportationshutdown alone.

The task force's policy initiatives will protect fuel, food,communications, and emergency service distribution by mapping theirregional interdependencies, studying their susceptibility tocurrent and future effects of climate change, retrofittinginfrastructure as needed and educating and incentivizing businessand homeowners to build away from flood zones.

The plan emphasizes streamlining review processes to reduce thetime needed for a risk-mitigating action to pass the scrutiny ofmultiple agencies, and to get checks to homeowners faster after anemergency.

It also focuses on collaboration between the federal government,which acts as the plans' backbone, and states' and cities'expertise to develop specific solutions for their regions.

Says Donovan, “Local governments and community leaders are thefrontlines of disaster recovery, and it is the job of the FederalGovernment to have their back by supporting their efforts,providing guidance when necessary, and delivering resources to helpthem fulfill their needs. To be successful, we need everyoneinvolved.”

Along with providing billions of dollars towards buildingregional risk management programs, the task force will host aninternational design competition to source resilient rebuildingideas to Sandy-impacted areas and has already begun to promote thedistribution of a Sea Level Rise planning tool based on climatechange data.

The task force report also stated that in 2013, the NationalFlood Insurance Program (NFIP) estimated that 15 to 25 percent ofproperties in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) in the Northeastwere insured for flood losses when Sandy hit.

To this end, the plan will tackle insurance challenges such asstreamlining payouts to homeowners and other policy-holders in thewake of a disaster, and addressing affordability challenges posedby Congressionally-mandated reforms to the NFIP.