New Research Shows Coastal Flood Risks Worsening
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A new analysis published by Climate Central predicts an alarming increase in coastal flood risks going forward. Specifically, the analysis predicts that coastal flooding events in the U.S. will increase 10-fold by 2050, especially within New York, New Jersey, Florida and Louisianna, an ominous sign for the utilities that operate in these areas. If this analysis can be trusted, it paints a bleak picture of the future for these geographical areas.
Projected Coastal Flood Risks, by the Numbers
To calculate its forecasts around future coastal flood risks, Climate Central utilized data from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau (population and home data), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA (elevation data), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Levee Database.
Based on the results of the analysis, the organization released an online tool called the Climate Risk Finder which allows people to zoom in to see the potential risk of coastal flooding in their area.
Overall, the numbers project that 2.5 million people and 1.4 million homes will be impacted by this increased event frequency. Cities with the highest at-risk populations include:
- Massachusetts: Boston, Cambridge
- New Jersey: Hoboken, Jersey City, Atlantic City
- New York: New York City
- Virginia: Norfolk
- Florida: Saint Petersburg, Miami Beach
- Gulf Coast: Houma, LA, Galveston, TX
As you can see, while the Gulf Coast region is at risk, most of the cities at the top of the risk scale are in the Northeast. Regardless of the specific area, governments in the high-risk locations should focus on optimizing evacuation routes, upgrading seawalls, and developing emergency relocation plans. And the utilities in these areas must focus on emergency plan optimization and system hardening.
At the end of the day, Climate Central’s analysis should serve as a wakeup call to take proactive action. The bottom line is that a spike in coastal flood risks could be devastating to not only local residents, but the utilities that serve them as well.
