If someone builds a home in a flood plane... Oh wait they do. Something has to give, subsidizing those who live in harm's way; to continue living in harms way;

If someone builds a home in a flood plane... Oh wait they do. Something has to give, subsidizing those who live in harm's way; to continue living in harms way; isn't the answer. Mistakes were made with zoning and building code. The proper fix seems situation dependent, but probably includes some combination of local engineering changes to safety (materials, what's allowed how close to what, evac routes, etc) and abandoning indefensible positions as unsafe for habitation. It generally makes sense for society as a whole to make a one time payment to reclaim areas for nature.