New study finds ‘alarming’ high flood risk for 17 million Americans on Atlantic and Gulf coasts
Summary
A new study shows that over 17 million people living along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts face very high flood risk. Cities like New York and New Orleans have a large share of their populations vulnerable to flooding, including extreme events like hurricanes.Key Facts
- Researchers from the University of Alabama analyzed flood risks for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts using 16 factors such as geography, population, and past damage data.
- The study found 17.5 million people at very high flood risk and another 17 million at high risk.
- Extreme flooding, defined as the worst 1% of events, threatens 4.3 million people at highest risk and 20.5 million at high risk.
- New York City has about 4.75 million residents in the top two flood risk categories, with over 200,000 buildings likely damaged.
- About 380,000 people in New Orleans face flood risk, representing 99% of the city’s population.
- Vulnerable groups like the elderly, poor, children, and those with less education are most at risk during floods.
- Past major flood events like Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Superstorm Sandy in New York are examples of the danger.
- The study was published in the journal Science Advances and used artificial intelligence tools to assess flood hazards.
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