Salem Selected For Public-Private Flood Resilience Pilot Program

SALEM, MA — Salem will participate in a new, no-cost flood resilience pilot program that Mayor Dominick Pangallo said could be an "innovative solution to help mitigate climate-related risks and make our city safer."

The QBE North America Foundation said on Tuesday that it has partnered with nonprofit InnSure and the city of Salem to implement the pilot program that will evaluate measures that lower flood risks for homeowners and renters, while also mitigating community-wide vulnerabilities to flash flooding.

These plans include home-resilience audits and a community-embedded insurance solution designed to recognize and reward climate adaptation efforts at both the household and community levels.

"This collaboration with the city of Salem is a promising opportunity to test new insurance models at the community level, and we're excited to partner with the QBE Foundation and local leaders on this initiative," said Charlie Sidoti, Executive Director, InnSure.

QBE North America Foundation said Salem was chosen as the pilot site due to its significant flood risk, with threats from coastal, riverine and flash flooding.

"We're excited to explore innovative solutions that can help mitigate climate-related risks for our residents and other community members," Pangallo said.

Salem will develop a no-cost home flood resilience assessment program as part of the initiative, planned to be rolled out later this year. The goal is to significantly enhance flood mitigation efforts, strengthen community resilience and expand insurance access to potentially underserved families and neighborhoods.

This initiative also aims to reduce loss costs, response and recovery expenses, and infrastructure spending, which can lessen the financial impact on governments and taxpayers following climate-related disasters.

Additionally, the program may later expand to address other hazards such as wind damage.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)