Climate Adaptation
The Truth About Flood Risk Can Worsen American Inequality
Bad flood scores can mean less investment in low-income communities.
Mailboxes emerge from flood waters in Houston, Texas on August 30, 2017.
Photographer: Thomas B. Shea/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
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First Street Foundation, a nonprofit agency, is making accurate climate change-adjusted flood scores available for every property in the U.S. today. There are government-produced maps showing 8.7 million homes and properties at significant flood risk—and it turns out those may have underestimated the amount of real estate at risk by 67%. Or, in other words, an additional 6 million properties face a significant risk of flood.