New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America
Nearly twice as many properties may be susceptible to flood damage than previously thought, according to a new effort to map the danger.
The New York Times
211d ago
The flood risk across much of the U.S. is far greater than government estimates show, new maps suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens
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Federal flood maps are the foundation of U.S. climate adaptation, determining where and how we build and who we believe is in harm's way.
New data says those maps have drastically underestimated the threat.
nytimes.com/interactive/20… pic.twitter.com/UigsU051TF
Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens.
Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens.
The new flood maps include areas the government hasn’t yet mapped for flooding, and places where the federal maps are decades old, and take risks that FEMA maps don't into account. They show a vast increase in risk compared with official estimates.
Millions more American homes are at risk from flooding than government estimates show, new data says. The great @PopovichN & @DeniseDSLu mapped that hidden risk.
A new model of flood probability suggests that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps.
The truth hurts.
New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America #WeDontHaveTime
Nearly twice as many properties may be susceptible to flood damage than previously thought, according to a new effort to map the danger.
In Chicago, one of the neighborhoods with the greatest hidden risk is Englewood, a majority-Black neighborhood:
nytimes.com/interactive/20… pic.twitter.com/LJhHXFz1x5
New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America.
In Chicago alone, 75,000 properties have a previously undisclosed flood risk. nytimes.com/interactive/20… pic.twitter.com/zR0g5ZXHg3
If these new estimates are broadly accurate, it would mean that homeowners, builders, banks, insurers and government officials nationwide have been making decisions with information that understates their true physical and financial risks.
More devastating floods from rising seas & heavier rainstorms are inevitable. Will we take our best shot at limiting the root cause & reducing harmful impacts? The jury is still out, but if enough of us work to make it so, perhaps we will. @jswatz
Finally, Environmental Justice perspective woven fully into a news piece on flooding -New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America nytimes.com/interactive/20… @AllanMargolin
Across much of the U.S., flood risk is far greater than FEMA estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions to a hidden threat — one that will only grow as climate change worsens. @cflav @DeniseDSLu @veronica_penney @PopovichN @jswatz
Federal flood mapping has long been deeply political, contorted by racial bias, corruption, neglect. The economic implications -- for insurance rates, home values, etc - are enormous.
When you get to ride the coattails of the great @cflav @DeniseDSLu @veronica_penney and @PopovichN it's a really good day.
New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America buff.ly/2VMUbtn @cflav Denise Lu, Veronica Penney, Nadja Popovich and John SchwartzJu. Relates to @cep_lse Guy Michaels work on economics of floods buff.ly/2C677Us
Extreme weather flood risk disproportionately impacts communities of color and amplifies the wealth divide
New @FloodFactorHelp US risk maps show that 67% more homes - nearly 6 milliion more - at risk of flooding by 100-year flood compared to @fema maps. Communities of color and poor communities are at greater risk than previously recognized
