While record breaking droughts have been recorded on 5 of the 6 continents Africa, Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia, parts of the world are also seeing recorded breaking floods. “A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture—about 7 percent more per 1.8°F (1°C) of warming—and scientists have already observed a significant increase in atmospheric moisture […]
Tag Archives: flood insurance
The End of Days: Floods
Florida Insurance Regulators Taking an “unprecedented” and “extraordinary” Step
The St. Lucie News Tribune reports: Florida insurance regulators are taking an “unprecedented” and “extraordinary” step to try and prevent tens of thousands of homeowners from being forced to look for new property insurance coverage if rating agency Demotech follows through on plans to downgrade many Florida carriers. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced […]
Cost of Property Insurance in Florida
Florida Politics reports in their article, As climate in Florida sets ‘new normal,’ cost of property insurance will separate haves, have-nots: “Insurers believe that due to climate change, this is the new normal. They’re finding that catastrophic and non-catastrophic weather events are increasing in severity every year,” said Paul Handerhan, president of the Federal Association […]
Frequency of Flash Floods
As the climate warms, the air holds more moisture. Theoretically, there is a 7% increase in atmospheric water holding capacity per degree Celsius warming. A recent study published in Nature The conterminous United States are projected to become more prone to flash floods in a high-end emissions scenario suggests extreme precipitation might be increasing even […]
Homeowners Insurance and Extreme Weather Events
Homeonwers insurance is becoming more expensive or even unavailable due to the increase frequency and intensity of extreme weather events caused by climate change. NOLA newspapers reports: Louisiana’s homeowners insurance market straining under weight of 600,000 claims Two active Atlantic hurricane seasons in a row have made some insurers insolvent. It’s the latest sign of […]
A Foot of Sea Level Rise
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports U.S. coastline to see up to a foot of sea level rise by 2050. That is three times the rate of the previous one hundred years. “For businesses along the coast, knowing what to expect and how to plan for the future is critical,” said U.S. Secretary of […]
Extreme Rainfall–surge Hazard Risks
by Daniel Brouse Most climate change models forecast rising sea levels as the predominant threat of a warming climate to flood risks. Though sea level rise is of great concern, so should be extreme rainfall. Both the sea and air temperatures are rising. Warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. Warmer sea temperatures […]
26% Increase in US Flood Risk by 2050 Due to Climate Change
A study published in the Journal Nature, Inequitable patterns of US flood risk in the Anthropocene, models a 26.4% (24.1–29.1%) increase in US flood risk by 2050 due to climate change. “Our national depiction of comprehensive and high-resolution flood risk estimates in the United States indicates current average annual losses of US$32.1 billion (US$30.5–33.8 billion) […]
25% of Critical Infrastructure at Risk of Flooding
The First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research and technology group that assesses the threat posed by flooding across the country, released a report that found one-forth of critical infrastructure in the USA is at risk of flooding including: police and fire stations, hospitals, airports and wastewater treatment facilities. “With an increasing number of flooding 1events […]
The Cost of Flood Insurance
An article in the New York Times entitled The Cost of Insuring Expensive Waterfront Homes Is About to Skyrocket states, “Federal officials say the goal is fairness — and also getting homeowners to understand the extent of the risk they face, and perhaps move to safer ground, reducing the human and financial toll of disasters.” […]