Flood Victims to Double This Decade
The Guardian
Flood disasters are becoming rather routine. Sill, this week one of the stories in my Sea Level Rise Now News Digest caught my attention – an article in The Guardian (U.K.) covering a study by World Resources Institute. It makes a shocking prediction that by the end of this decade, global flood victims could increase from 72 million to 147 million annually. More than double just ten years from now. And looking ahead to mid century, they forecast 221 million flood victims, another fifty percent increase. There are multiple causes.
The greatest factor for this rise in flooding over the next decade is increasing rainfall, directly caused by warmer oceans and increased evaporation. Heavy rain also multiplies as runoff, down a valley or just down to a lower street. Deluge rains are increasing at the same time as droughts parch the ground, often destroying the natural porosity and drainage, making the runoff worse.
Flooding from extreme storms is also becoming more common. Recall the recent examples of Dorian, Maria, Irma, Harvey, Katrina, and Sandy. They dumped several feet of rain in a relatively short period of time.
Then there is the rising sea level, just “drip by drip”, but happening faster and faster. It raises the base level and adds to those other flood types. If it occurs at an extreme high tide flooding is even worse.
It’s important to realize that all the trends are pointing to more flooding over the next decade. Everyone in a flood prone area should think defensively. Like pandemics, the time to think about precautionary moves is when there is no problem. Reduce your points of exposure to flooding. That may mean sealing your lowest window opening or foundation vent, or it could mean looking for higher ground.
Like the pandemic, flooding happens with little notice.
Flood preparation is best done while we are high and dry.