A report released by Zillow and Climate Central has found that new home construction in the areas most at risk of flooding in coastal states is outpacing development in safer zones.
New Jersey leads the U.S. with the number of new homes built in 10-year floodplains, with more than 4,500 new homes between 2010 and 2017. (The report notes this is likely driven by recovery from Superstorm Sandy.) Connecticut has the highest rate of housing development in flood-prone areas, with 3.5 times more homes built within the 10-year floodplain as there are in other parts of the state.
Areas that fall within a 10-year floodplain are regarded as having a 10% probability of flooding each year. Roughly 17,800 coastal homes built after 2009 run the 10% flood risk by 2050 without any reduction in greenhouse gas pollution, the report states.
The fast pace of construction in flood-prone locations was no surprise to flooding experts, who said state and local governments have had little incentive to discourage or restrict development in risky areas. … Despite the rising threat of flooding, it still pays off economically to build along the coastline, said Robert Young, director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines.
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