A quarter of US infrastructure is at risk of flooding

the foundation 1st Street, which is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to research and has just published a report stating that At least a quarter of the country’s critical infrastructure is at risk of drowning in the next three decades.

As a vital infrastructure, different types of structures are considered, From bridges and roads to fire and police buildings, hospitals, schools, government offices and residential neighborhoods.

“Our goal was to determine the amount of flooding that would be necessary to render the infrastructure inoperable,” he explained. Jeremy Porterfrom the institution 1st Street.

The report is entitled Third National Flood Risk Report: Infrastructure on the Edge, takes into account all kinds of potential floods, from those caused by Increased precipitation, even the possibility of river collapse, or sea level rise.

“As we saw just a few weeks ago with Devastation from Hurricane IdaOur country’s infrastructure is not built to withstand the flood risks we face today. Not to mention what could happen with the increase that we hope will be in that danger over the next thirty years.” Matthew IbeFounder and CEO of the Foundation 1st Street.

“The impact of Hurricane Ida across the country has been impressive, Destroying power lines in southern Louisiana, flooding New York City’s subway infrastructure, and killing more than 100 people. The report notes that the places we live in will now more than ever be affected by climate change.

17 of the 20 counties most at risk of severe flooding in the country are in four states: Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia. Only in Louisiana are six of the 20 most dangerous counties concentrated, and this is where the county identified as the county most at risk of flooding in the entire country is located: Diocese of Cameron.

If the focus is on cities rather than counties, Florida has six of the 20 cities with the highest risk, and three are in Louisiana. New Orleans is the second most important city in the country in terms of flooding. Miami is in eighth place in the ranking, St. Petersburg and Tampa, I liked in Florida too, they have the 12th and 14th places respectively.

Today there are 12.4 million residential properties at risk of flooding in the country. It is estimated that in the next 30 years this number will rise to 13.6 million. The numbers are terrifying. By 2051, 1.2 million residential homes, 66,000 commercial properties, and 63,000 miles of roads will be at risk, rendering them unusable.

according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationAnd Flooding is the costliest natural disaster in the United States. Since 1980 the country has invested more than $1 trillion to respond to the consequences of the floods.

Besides major national plans to modernize infrastructure, there are cities that are taking action on the issue. In Miami, for example, residents voted two years ago to introduce a self-imposed tax that would create a flood fund. After Hurricane Andrew, in the 1990s, the city changed its building code and became the most windproof city in the world. This allowed that the damage caused by the passage of hurricanes in Miami in recent years was ten times less than the damage in cities such as New York. The goal of Sun City now is to become the most waterproof city on the planet.