Flood. Retreat. Repeat.

As seas rise and storms become more intense, some 40 million Americans living in floodplains are facing greater risk of disaster. Local, state, and federal officials are increasingly looking at managed retreat, or buyouts, as a way to get people out of harm’s way. In this series, Grist profiles three communities at various stages of the buyout process, examining what happens when you ask – or sometimes force – people to leave their homes. What gets lost and who gets left behind?