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Risk to residential properties in the United States due to changing climate, especially floods, is expected to increase by 10 per cent over the next 30 years. At least 12.4 million properties are at risk of flooding in 2021 (14 per cent); the number may increase to 13.6 million by 2051 (16 per cent), according to a recent report.
The first community-level flood resilience report for the United States titled The 3rd National Risk Assessment: Infrastructure on the Brink was published in October 2021.
At least 2 million miles of road (25 per cent) are at the risk of flood today; this is expected to increase to 2.2 million miles of road (26 per cent) over the next 30 years, an increase of 3 per cent.
Commercial properties are expected to see a 7 per cent increase in the risk of flooding from 2021 to 2051, with 918,540 at risk today (20 per cent) and 984,591 at risk of flooding in 30 years (21 per cent).
As many as 35,776 critical infrastructure facilities are estimated to be at risk today (25 per cent); this is likely to increase to 37,786 by 2051 (26 per cent), a risk increase of 6 per cent. At least 71,717 social infrastructure facilities are at risk today (17 per cent), which may increase to 77,843 by 2051 (19 per cent). This will account for an increase of 9 per cent over 2021-2051.
Communities residing in Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia face the highest risk from floods, with 17 of the top 20 most at risk counties in the US (85 per cent) living in these four states. The county facing the highest risk is Cameron Parish in Louisiana.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card said the US infrastructure is already in a poor condition and showing signs of deterioration and increasing vulnerability. It estimated that more than 21,000 bridges are susceptible to “overtopping or having their foundations undermined during extreme storm events”.
Deteriorating infrastructure and the communities they serve will be especially vulnerable in the face of changing climate and extreme weather events.
The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in its 2012 report said Hurricane Sandy flooded hospitals, crippled electrical substations, overwhelmed waste water treatment centers and shut down power and water to tens of millions of people.
Hurricane Ida in August 2021 crippled the electrical grid in southern Louisiana, flooding the transportation infrastructure in New York city metro area and killing 100 people.
The impact on local communities can be devastating: In Harris County (Houston), 770 hospitals, public utilities and water treatment plants are at risk of flooding above their operational threshold in 2021.
In Miami-Dade (Florida), 1,640 schools, churches and museums are at risk of being inoperable due to their flood risk.