Parts Of Florida And Georgia Will Be Underwater

The Climate Central flood maps show areas of the world that would be underwater if the oceans rose one foot. A one-foot increase would swamp much of the Georgia and Florida coasts, swamping Savannah, Jacksonville, and Charleston. The increase in water depth is a “high tide line that could be reached through combinations of sea level rise, tides, and storm surge.” A major hurricane would trigger at least one of those. 

Flood maps can be notoriously incorrect. Hurricane Helene caused floods in North Carolina’s western region, but the maps did not consider the aftereffects of such a major storm that moved inland. 

Atlantic Ocean

These large cities along the Atlantic have not built major barriers to hurricane-driven floods, and the costs of doing so would be billions of dollars. The federal government awarded Savannah $30 million a year ago for flood protection, but the amount needed to protect the city is many times that. Charleston has no city-wide plan, but local officials agree they might be able to pay for one if it existed. 

Thousands of coastal areas worldwide match the risks these cities face, and these areas house hundreds of millions of people. These include parts of the UK, much of Denmark, and Italy. They also include huge parts of India, Thailand, and Vietnam. They also include parts of Venezuela and sections of southern Mexico. 

Several years ago, these floods were less likely. Today, they are more likely than forecast.

More from ClimateCrisis 247

• New York Faces Loss Of 88,000 Homes
• World’s Glaciers Disappear At Alarming Pace
• Trash Found On The Bottom Of The Ocean 37,000 Feet Down
• Government Withholds Plan To Save The Great Salt Lake