A new study commissioned by First Street Foundation (a private risk-assessment firm) and reported in the July 21st issue of The New Yorker concludes that climate change has exacerbated the risk of catastrophic floods. According to The New Yorker‘s John Seabrook, “floods previously considered to be hundred-year events have become, on average, sixty-two-year events… Nationally, the study found that 17.7 million properties are at risk of flooding, but only about five million properties are in a FEMA flood-hazard zone. That means that millions of home buyers and owners are making decisions with an incomplete understanding of the true physical and financial risks they face.” As a result, towns and cities across the country underestimate the risk of floods.
“As temperatures around the world continue to rise, so have bursts of extreme precipitation. We’re now seeing more floods that resemble the volatility of a tornado or a wildfire—event that leave only a narrow window within which to act before the deadly force of a raging river arrives at your door.”
Among Seabrook’s findings:
- The idea of a “hundred year” flood is misleading. Floods don’t obey timetables.
- A flooded river can move rapidly and decimate an entire landscape.
- Millions of homeowners are living in high-risk property and don’t know it.
- The idea of “building back” in flood-prone areas is ill-advised at best.
- The Trump Administration’s threat to close FEMA by the end of this year’s hurricane season will be disastrous.
The City of Boston would be well-advised to heed the warning.
Read the full article and see what communities in Vermont are doing to shore up against catastrophic flooding.