A study has found that Kansas saves more money, on average, than any other state that uses federal grants to mitigate natural disasters. The Pew Charitable Trusts analysis shows that for every $1 of federal funds spent on protecting against flood and tornado damage, Kansas avoided $6.81 in potential recovery costs. Missouri trailed close behind, with each federal dollar saving $6.72. Researchers calculated savings from avoiding casualties, property repairs, and business disruptions, among other factors.
The findings come after Kansas saw heavy rain and flooding this spring. While the state only prepares for wind and floods, the projects paid off. The state of Kansas and federal government grants contributed roughly $220 million to disaster mitigation and netted $1.5 billion in savings for their efforts.
