Coastal States Are Building in Flood Zones Faster Than Anywhere Else

Here's a trillion dollar real estate market on the coasts of the United States—and it's building itself into rising levels of risk.

1 minute read

August 5, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Jonathannsegal / Shutterstock

"In many coastal states, flood-prone areas have seen the highest rates of home construction since 2010," reports Christopher Flavelle.

That statistic is one of the findings of a new report by Climate Central, which "looked at the 10-year flood risk zone — the area with a 10 percent chance of flooding in any given year — and estimated the zone’s size in 2050."

Researchers used Zillow then to count how many homes had been built in that zone since 2010, using data from Zillow.

"For eight states, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Mississippi and South Carolina, the percentage increase in homes built in the flood zone exceeded the rate of increase in the rest of the state," according to Flavelle.

FULL STORY: Homes Are Being Built the Fastest in Many Flood-Prone Areas, Study Finds

Wednesday, July 31, 2019 in The New York Times

Environment Land Use Urban Development Connecticut Mississippi Rhode Island South Carolina Seal-Level Rise Climate Change Flood Zones Sprawl Flood Insurance Climate Central Ocean at the Door View More

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