New data shows another 1.5 million properties in the U.S. will be at risk of flooding due to climate change. Are you at risk?
Kerry Emmanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT and First Street advisory board member
Many flood experts said the discrepancy between the two models wasn’t surprising, given the limitations baked into FEMA’s calculations. The federal agency is stretched thin, struggling to keep its flood maps up to date, particularly for inland areas perceived to be less vulnerable than the coasts, experts said. The agency also looks only at historical data to assess where flooding could strike next, leaving out current and future models that assess where else risk might exist or even be growing.
The discrepancies led Fugate’s team to develop its own flood maps with what they felt were better models. In some places, the difference in predicted water levels was as much as 16 feet.Eric Tate, a professor at the University of Iowa who early in his career built flood modeling tools as a FEMA contractor, agreed the agency’s maps can be outdated, miss lower-priority areas and at times become subject to political influence through a revision process.
The agency sees First Street’s Flood Factor as a tool to inform a property owner’s decision to buy flood insurance or take steps to reduce individual flood risk, Litzow said. Still, First Street’s analysis, which used a uniform modeling system across the lower 48 states, helps expose the potential scale of missed risk. Many of the largest discrepancies are driven by states and cities not typically considered at high risk for flooding. In California, nearly 600,000 properties are at 1% annual risk for flooding under First Street’s model, but not under FEMA’s. That’s the largest gap of any state, driven by big jumps in cities like Los Angeles and Fresno.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Millions of American Homes at Greater Flood Risk Than Government Estimates, New Study SaysNearly six million properties across the U.S. have a substantial risk of flooding that isn’t disclosed by federal flood maps, according to a nonprofit research firm.
Read more »
'Extreme inequality was the preexisting condition': How COVID-19 widened America's wealth gapAs 45 million Americans lost their jobs, U.S. billionaires got $584 billion richer.
Read more »
Pence attributes coronavirus spike to young Americans ‘disregarding’ Covid guidanceVice President Mike Pence said new outbreaks of the coronavirus may be arising because younger Americans aren’t abiding by federal guidance
Read more »
Hulu Removes Golden Girls Episode Over … Mud-Mask Blackface?Hulu has removed an episode of Golden Girls where Rose (Betty White) and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) put on black mud masks
Read more »
At least 26 million Americans at risk for next round of severe summer stormsWEATHER: The latest round of severe summer storms brought at least 100 reports of severe weather in various parts of the U.S.
Read more »