{"id":4060,"date":"2025-08-27T18:06:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T18:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/news\/disaster-response-in-rural-america-diana-bryant-highlights-urgent-policy-needs-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T00:05:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:05:56","slug":"no-safe-ground","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/news\/no-safe-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"No Safe Ground: Brant Explains Cost of Poverty in Appalachia\u2019s Flood Zones"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-4060\" data-postid=\"4060\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-4060 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_phy2285 tb_first tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_8sp0905 first\">\n                    <!-- module fancy heading -->\n<div  class=\"module module-fancy-heading tb_59n3809 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <h1 class=\"fancy-heading\">\n    <span class=\"main-head tf_block\">\n                    No Safe Ground            <\/span>\n\n    \n    <span class=\"sub-head tf_block tf_rel\">\n                    Brant Explains Cost of Poverty in Appalachia\u2019s Flood Zones              <\/span>\n    <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module fancy heading -->\n<!-- Breadcrumbs module -->\n<div  class=\"module module-breadcrumbs tb_gcfn933 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n\t<nav role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"tbp_breadcrumb_trail\"><ul class=\"tbp_trail_items\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/BreadcrumbList\"><meta name=\"numberOfItems\" content=\"1\" \/><meta name=\"itemListOrder\" content=\"Ascending\" \/><li itemprop=\"itemListElement\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ListItem\" class=\"tbp_trail_item tbp_trail_end\"><a itemprop=\"item\" href=\"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/\" rel=\"home\"><span itemprop=\"name\">Home<\/span><\/a><meta itemprop=\"position\" content=\"1\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><!-- \/Breadcrumbs module -->\n<!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_tasa520   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p data-start=\"228\" data-end=\"667\">In her latest piece for\u00a0<em>The Conversation<\/em>, RSS Member\u00a0<strong>Kristina Brant<\/strong>\u00a0sheds light on the harsh realities faced by flood-affected communities in Appalachia. With limited financial resources and few relocation options, many residents are left with no alternative but to rebuild in the same vulnerable locations.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"669\" data-end=\"993\">\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:2,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:336}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">It has always been\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyyonder.com\/finding-higher-ground-locally-led-movement-works-toward-a-just-housing-recovery-in-eastern-kentucky\/2023\/02\/02\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">costly and time-intensive<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202fto develop land in Appalachia. Available higher ground tends to be located on former strip mines, and these\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/28\/climate\/kentuckys-strip-mines-get-turned-into-neighborhoods.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">reclaimed lands require<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202fcareful geotechnical surveying and sometimes structural reinforcements.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:270,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">If these areas are remote, the costs of running electric, water and other infrastructure services can also be prohibitive.\u00a0 \u2014<strong>Kristina Brant<\/strong>, Penn State University\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:336}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW5058029 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><strong><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW5058029 BCX0\">Brant\u2019s<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW5058029 BCX0\"> research highlights the intersection of environmental vulnerability and rural poverty, emphasizing the urgent need for policy solutions that address both.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW5058029 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:312,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"671\" data-end=\"993\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/in-many-of-appalachias-flood-ravaged-areas-residents-have-little-choice-but-rebuild-in-risky-locations-240429\">\ud83d\udd17 Read the full article<\/a><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In her latest piece for The Conversation, RSS Member <strong>Kristina Brant<\/strong> In her latest piece for The Conversation, RSS Member Kristina Brant sheds light on the harsh realities faced by flood-affected communities in Appalachia. With limited financial resources and few relocation options, many residents are left with no alternative but to rebuild in the same vulnerable locations. <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/in-many-of-appalachias-flood-ravaged-areas-residents-have-little-choice-but-rebuild-in-risky-locations-240429\">\ud83d\udd17 Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4062,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","news_announcements":[25,35],"class_list":["post-4060","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news_announcements-member-in-the-news","news_announcements-rural-poverty","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"ptb_metabox":[],"ptb_taxonomy":{"news_announcements":[{"term_id":25,"name":"Member in the News","slug":"member-in-the-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":25,"taxonomy":"news_announcements","description":"","parent":0,"count":45,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":35,"name":"Rural Poverty","slug":"rural-poverty","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":35,"taxonomy":"news_announcements","description":"","parent":26,"count":8,"filter":"raw"}]},"ptb_featured_image":{"url":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/file-20250221-32-8g6q5e.avif","title":"file-20250221-32-8g6q5e","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_announcements","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_announcements?post=4060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}