Rising Sea Level Threatens Housing in More than Just Coastal Areas
July 28, 2021
(WP) A recent report on NextCity.org reveals that "the number of affordable housing units in the US that are at risk of regular flooding is expected to triple by 2050." The report cites analysis from Climate Central, an "independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public."
By 2050, virtually every coastal state is expected to have at least some affordable housing exposed to more than one “coastal flood risk event” per year, on average. This is up from about half of coastal states in the year 2000. A flood risk event occurs when local coastal water levels reach higher than a building’s ground elevation, and any known barriers do not provide full protection.
But sea level rise affects cities beyond traditional coastal areas as well. Philadelphia is 60 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, for example, but situated on two tidal rivers. Some neighborhoods there with affordable housing already flood regularly. In 2030, according to the Climate Central analysis, 85 affordable housing units in the city will be at regular risk of flooding.
Climate Central has created an online mapping tool that offers comparison views of how risk levels are expected to increase among certain US coastal areas in the coming years. The map, however, does not include non-coastal states with major inland waterways that could also see flooding (Mississippi River, Great Lakes, etc).
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