Floods

Orange and white barrels with yellow caution tape blocking flooded road.

North Carolina Is Building an Online Tool to Quantify Outcomes of Flood Projects

The tool will allow local planners to evaluate impacts of flooding and prioritize projects with the biggest return on investment.

January 28, 2024 - Governing

Flooded street with historic home in Charleston, South Carolina

As Development in Flood-Prone Areas Continues, Cities Are Slow to Respond

Drawn by affordable property, low taxes, and job opportunities, high numbers of Americans continue to move to flood-prone areas even as the threat of catastrophic flooding grows.

October 5, 2022 - The Washington Post

Floodwaters and damaged road in Yellowstone National Park

How the Yellowstone Floods Laid Bare a Housing Crisis

This year’s historic floods ravaged communities already roiled by spiking housing costs and a shortage of available workforce housing near the nation’s oldest national park.

September 23, 2022 - High Country News

Aerial view of Flagstaff, Arizona at sunset

Where Floods Follow Wildfires

Neighborhoods not previously at risk of flooding face new challenges as burn scars from recent fires leave them vulnerable to floods.

September 14, 2022 - Arizona Public Radio

The trees, benches, and other landscape elements of a park are submerged in brown flood waters.

Fort Worth Spending More on Flood Control; Still Well Short of What’s Needed

Fort Worth could spend $136 million on stormwater infrastructure and flood control over the next five years. In all, the city needs more like $1 billion of investment.

August 23, 2022 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Galveston, Texas

Flooding 210 Days a Year—No Storms Necessary

It no longer takes a storm to cause flooding in many coastal areas of the United States. Galveston, Texas could eventually face floods more than half the days of the year.

August 16, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

East River

Saving Lower Manhattan

A debate over how to protect the East River waterfront from Sandy-level flooding and storm damage has delayed the project as community activists decry the city's last-minute change of plans.

January 5, 2022 - The New York Times

Texas Flood

Are Tall Buildings Safer When It Floods?

Conventional wisdom is that the most resilient city is that keeps high-density housing out of flood zones. But if flooding can happen miles inland, is that still true?

September 13, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

Green Infrastructure

New York Needs Permeable Streets to Mitigate Future Flooding

To reduce the severity of disruptive subway flooding, the city can implement street-level solutions that absorb and redirect water before it reaches the train tunnels.

September 9, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

Superstorm Sandy

How New York City Can Prepare for the Next Catastrophic Floods–Now

The city must take urgent action to mitigate the effects of increasingly damaging rainstorms.

September 6, 2021 - Slate

Climate Change and Flooding

Over 80 Million People Live in Flood Zones

New research shows a 24% increase in people living in flood-prone areas since 2000, prompting calls for increased adaptation measures.

August 6, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

U.S.-Mexico Border

Flooded: How Natural Disasters Lead to Predatory Lending in the Rio Grande Valley

The devastation that communities in the Rio Grande Valley face is twofold: the initial destruction of the floods and the cycle of debt and poverty as a result of predatory loans.

November 27, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Climate Resilience Planning

Proposed Citywide Rezoning Would Layer Resilience in New York City

With 520 miles of coastline, New York City is ready to implement the lessons of Hurricane Sandy in the zoning code for the entire city.

October 22, 2020 - NYC Planning

Clear-Sky Flood

Where Cities Flout Flood Protection Rules, the Public Still Subsidizes Insurance

An investigation by the New York Times reveals the ongoing neglect of flood considerations in developing parts of the United States—practice that comes with large costs to the taxpaying public.

April 28, 2020 - The New York Times

Mississippi River

All New Commercial Developments Require Porous Pavement in New Orleans

After the challenges of a rainy season with persistent flooding last year, New Orleans is ensuring that the future of its development is more stormwater friendly than its past.

September 13, 2019 - NOLA.com

Flooding

Moving People Out of Flood Zones Is a Win-Win Strategy

As the threat of flooding increases, buyout programs to relocate homeowners are a better alternative to rebuilding—for cities and residents.

July 16, 2019 - The New York Times

Flooding

Flooding Less of a Concern as Hurricane Memories Fade

Residents of Houston are less likely to think of flooding as a concern, or to think development should be prohibited in flood-prone areas, as in the years immediately following Hurricane Harvey.

May 15, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Washington State

A Surprising Place for Climate Relocation: Washington State

The city of Hamilton in Skagit County, Washington showcases another kind of community at risk from the effects of climate change and considering relocation to higher ground.

May 14, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Feather River

Scientists Warn Mega-Storm Could Make 'Lakes' of California Cities

If you live in California, you've heard predictions of a disastrous earthquake dubbed "the big one." Now, scientists are warning of an epic rainstorm that could cause three times as much damage.

February 23, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Brooklyn Navy Yard

New Master Plan Envisions Brooklyn Navy Yard as Next-Gen Manufacturing Hub

Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation's master plan for the site is a $2.5 billion bet that high-tech manufacturers can be enticed back to New York, bringing with them the economic heft to transform the whole area.

October 6, 2018 - Curbed New York

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