Flooding

In the Face of Extreme Floods, Rural Communities Lack Forecasting and Broadband

Plans are in place to address the urban observation bias in national weather prediction, but the other piece—reliable broadband—could still be years away for places like Eastern Kentucky.

  • By Anya Slepyan and Claire Carlson, The Daily Yonder

'We've Never Seen a Flood Event Like This': Ian's Devastating Hit to Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis described "historic" damage to parts of the state from the hurricane, which made landfall with winds around 150 mph and caused massive flooding.

  • By Bill Lucia

3 Reasons Hurricane Ian Poses a Major Flooding Hazard for Florida

COMMENTARY | A meteorologist explains why the looming storm could be especially dangerous for the state's Gulf Coast.

  • By Athena Masson, The Conversation

A New Tech Tool to Help Communities Confront Climate Risks

The just-launched federal website provides a range of information around extreme weather and natural disasters.

  • By Molly Bolan

How Cities Can Learn From Today’s Climate Crises to Prepare for Tomorrow

Dallas, which last week was hit with nearly 15 inches of rain that turned roads into rivers and poured into homes, is only the latest flood disaster.

  • By Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, The Conversation

Extreme Rainfall Will Be Worse and More Frequent Than We Thought

Researchers say some climate models are underestimating future floods.

  • By Zoya Teirstein, Grist

FEMA Wants to End Flood Insurance for the Nation’s Riskiest Properties

Democrats and counties oppose the idea. Properties that have been flood-damaged multiple times account for nearly half the program’s payouts over the years.

  • By Kery Murakami

Early Warning System Pinpoints Flooded Roads in Some States

Nearly a dozen states are using real-time, hyper-local monitoring to assess potential flooding at specific bridges or roads.

  • By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

What Flooding Costs These US Cities

Urban areas will see an increase in three types of flooding by 2050, which will force local governments to spend much more on climate disasters, according to a recent report. 

  • By Jean Dimeo

Historic Floods Hammer Yellowstone, Shuttering Park and Stranding Residents

A combination of heavy rain and rapid snowmelt has pushed rivers in the region to their highest recorded levels.

  • By Jake Bittle, Grist

Cyber Risks Found in Flood Management System in Southeastern States

A federal utility operating in seven states failed to implement proper cybersecurity standards for a control assisting with dam and river management, according to an oversight report.

  • By Chris Riotta

States Must Expand Data Sources for Strategic Flood Resilience

Failure to incorporate forward-looking climate data and demographic trends will limit states’ ability to develop effective flood mitigation plans, new research finds.

  • By Shourjya Mookerjee
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FEMA Maps Hugely Underestimate US Flood Damage Risk

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to predict where flood damage is likely to happen across that country.

  • By Laura Oleniacz , Futurity

Infrastructure Update: Local Concerns Muddy a FEMA Flood Insurance Overhaul

The Biden administration faces many tricky questions from states and localities as it tries to write rules to soften the blow of increasingly devastating floods.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Smashed Cars, Burnt Trees, Soggy Insulation: Post-disaster Cleanup Is Expensive, Time-consuming and Wasteful

COMMENTARY | Government agencies have detailed plans for responding to disasters, like the Dec. 10-11, 2021 tornados. But one issue doesn’t get enough attention: cleaning up the mess left behind.

  • By Sybil Derrible Juyeong Choi  and Nazli Yesiller, The Conversation

Storm Drains Keep Swallowing People During Floods

An alarming number of people (especially children) have drowned after disappearing into storm drains during floods. The deadly problem should be easy for federal, state and local government agencies to fix, but tragedy strikes again and again.

  • By Topher Sanders, ProPublica

Flash Flooding Highlights Immediate Dangers of Climate Change – Again

Elected officials and activists say state and local governments need to do more now.

  • By Zach Williams

Climate Change is Disrupting US Forests and Coasts. Here’s What Ecologists Are Seeing at 5 Research Sites

COMMENTARY | The severity of heat, drought, fires and floods has many researchers questioning whether climate change, fueled by human actions, is progressing faster than predicted and what that means for the future.

  • By Michael Paul Nelson, The Conversation and Peter Mark Groffman, The Conversation, The Conversation

High-Tide Flood Risk is Accelerating, Putting Coastal Economies at Risk

COMMENTARY | The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to increase five to 15 times more in the next 30 years.

  • By Renee Collini, The Conversation

For Flood-Prone Cities, Seawalls Raise as Many Questions as They Answer

COMMENTARY | Urban leaders and elected officials at all levels of government need to consider carefully before they invest billions of dollars.

  • By Gary Griggs, The Conversation

‘Managed Retreat’ Can Reinvent Cities While Protecting Lives When Climate Change Floods, Burns or Bakes the Land

COMMENTARY | Low-lying communities near rivers and bays face increasing risk of flooding.

  • By A.R. Siders and Katharine Mach, The Conversation