It's been a century since a hurricane larger than category three has scored a direct hit on the Tampa Bay region. If a storm arrives to change that streak of luck, it will find a region severly underprepared to deal with the effects of sea-level rise
Darryl Fears writes a feature-length article detailing the environmental threat to Tampa Bay: "The area is due for a major hurricane, and it is not prepared. If a big one scores a direct hit, the damage would likely surpass Katrina."
Two reports have sounded the alarm for Tampa Bay. The first, by CoreLogic, "reported that the region would lose $175 billion in a storm the size of Hurricane Katrina." The second, by the World Bank, "called Tampa Bay one of the 10 most at-risk areas on the globe."
The imminent threat is exacerbated by sea-level rise along the region's 700 miles of shoreline. "Yet the bay area — greater Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater — has barely begun to assess the rate of sea-level rise and address its effects," according to Fears.
The Washington Post devoted a host of resources for this feature, supplementing the story with animations and videos to bring home the reality of the threats facing this region.
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