Okay, so we're diving into some crucial info about flood risk today.
We've got this article from Yale Climate Connections.
It's called 30 Great Tools to Determine Your Flood Risk in the U.S.
A Whole Bunder Resources Packed in Here.
Yeah.
And it's interesting how much things have changed.
Like it used to be all about those FEMA flood maps.
Right.
Everyone knows those.
But this article, it kind of makes you wonder if those maps are actually that reliable.
Yeah.
You know, they can be really outdated and they don't really take into account how climate
changes impacting everything.
Like heavier rainfall and things like that.
Exactly.
Like all that leads to way more flooding and more often too.
Right.
And they actually had a pretty crazy example on the article.
They were talking about Houston, Harris County specifically.
FEMA says it's a one in 100 year flood risk.
Oh, wow.
But get this new analysis shows it's more like every 13 years.
Every 13 years.
So that's what like 13 times more often.
Yeah.
That's a huge, ancient difference.
So those FEMA maps, maybe not the best thing to rely on.
Definitely not.
But the good news is there are some new tools out there.
Okay.
So what can people use instead?
So there's a few platforms like risk factor, climate check, even free home or risk.com.
Those are just a few.
They're using way more current data.
So they factor in climate change and all of that.
Exactly.
It's a much more complete picture.
You know, makes sense.
Although I did see something in the article about some negative reviews, like some
homeowner saying these tools weren't accurate.
Right. Right.
Some people found that what the tool told them didn't really line up with what they
were seeing.
So what causes that kind of discrepancy?
Could be a bunch of things.
Yeah.
You know, sometimes it's super localized stuff, like their specific spot is different.
Or maybe there are some data issues.
It's hard to say for sure.
So you got to take it all with a grain of salt.
It's not just plug and play.
Yeah.
It's more about using a bunch of different things together to get the best picture.
And, you know, on top of those initial assessments, there's actually ways to really
dig into the history of a property.
Almost like being a detective.
Oh, detective.
Tell me more.
Yeah.
So you can actually research past floods, see if there have been any insurance
claims on the property.
Is that even possible?
Yeah.
And even check out these things called repetitive loss property.
Repetitive loss.
What's that?
So basically those are properties where there have been multiple flood insurance claims.
Like way more than the property is even worse.
So they just keep flooding.
Over and over.
Yeah.
Which is really important to know if you're thinking about buying.
Especially near the coast.
Definitely.
Could save you a lot of headaches later on.
Right.
Finding out your dream home is actually, you know, a nightmare.
Makes you wonder, like, what about other risks?
Like rivers, levees, dams, stuff like that?
Yeah.
Those are all huge factors too.
And the article gets into that as well.
See, now I always thought dams were supposed to prevent floods, not cause them.
Well, in theory, yeah.
But, you know, anything built by humans can fail.
True.
That's a good point.
This geomorphologist, they quoted in the article, he said something like,
there are two kinds of levees.
Those that have failed and those that will fail.
Oh, wow.
That's actually kind of scary.
So how do you even know if a dam or a levee is, you know, going to be a problem?
Well, these tools can't predict exactly when something might happen.
Right.
Of course not.
But they can tell you things like the hazard rating, like how bad it would be if it did fail.
Things like that.
That makes sense.
So at least people downstream can prepare.
Exactly.
It's all about being prepared.
And speaking of powerful forces of nature, have we talked about sea level rise yet?
I mean, isn't that more of a beachfront property problem?
That's what most people think, but it's way more complicated than that.
Really?
In what way?
So one of the biggest things is people think, oh, it's only coastal properties that have to worry.
But it actually goes way further inland.
Oh, really?
How so?
Well, for one thing, you've got erosion.
Like as the sea level rises, it eats away at the coast even more.
And that can mess with infrastructure, property values, even if you're not right on the beach.
Right.
You always hear about those places losing their beaches.
Exactly.
And it's not just about losing a place to tan, you know, it can undermine roads, buildings,
even like sewage systems.
Wow, that's intense.
Yeah.
And it can really hurt communities, like financially and socially.
So it's like a domino effect, even if the water isn't literally at your door.
Exactly.
And then on top of all that, there's this thing the article calls community isolation.
Community isolation.
What does that even mean?
Okay, so imagine the sea level rises, let's say two feet.
Some place is going to be underwater, right?
Right.
But what about the people just a little further inland?
Maybe their house is okay, but the roads are flooded.
The power is out.
So they're stranded.
Exactly.
They're cut off from everything, no resources, no support.
And the article actually had this crazy example, Lancaster County in Virginia,
they're saying a two foot rise would directly flood maybe 2.4% of the population,
but over double that, like 5.5% would be isolated because of damage to roads and stuff.
Why?
Those numbers are wild.
It's like, it's not even about if your house floods, it's about if you can even get to it.
Totally.
And speaking of things that might make you rethink being near the water,
the article goes on to this whole other thing about tides.
Apparently the moon doesn't just affect werewolves.
It's got a big impact on flooding too.
Okay.
Now that's something I never really thought about the moon.
Huh?
Yeah, most people don't.
It's all about the moon's gravity, right?
That's what drives the tides.
Makes sense.
But the moon's orbit, it's not always the same.
It goes through this cycle, about 18.6 years.
So it's like this cosmic dance and we're just along for the ride.
Basically.
And for the past like couple of decades, it's been in this phase of the moon.
And then this phase where high tides have been lower.
Oh, so we've had it easy, kind of.
In a way, yeah.
Yeah.
But that also means that we haven't really seen how much sea level rise is actually happening.
Because the tides have been masking it.
Exactly.
But here's the thing, we're moving into a new phase now where the moon's going to be
pulling those tides even higher on top of the sea level rise.
Oh no.
So what's that going to look like?
So they're predicting that by the 2030s, a lot of areas, especially the Gulf, southeast, west coast,
could see three or four times as many minor high tide flood days.
Three or four times.
What does that even mean?
Minor high tide flood.
Basically, think like the streets flooding when the tide's high, businesses having to close.
Yeah, even sewer systems backing up might not sound like much.
But when it's happening all the time, every month.
Yeah, it adds up.
And the thing is, it doesn't take much more water for those minor floods to become a huge problem.
Like a little more rain and suddenly it's a disaster.
Right.
NOA says the difference between a minor flood and something way worse can be just a foot or two of water.
Man, this is a lot.
So much to think about.
Like how do you even prepare for all of this?
Well, that's where flood insurance comes in.
Got to think about how to protect yourself.
Oh yeah, flood insurance.
The article mentions something called risk rating 2.0.
What's the deal with that?
So basically it's a total revamp of how they do flood insurance.
Like how the national flood insurance program, the NIP.
Right, the NIP.
Yeah, how they figure out the risk and the rates.
Then this new system started in 2022, so it's still pretty new.
Okay, so what was wrong with the old way?
Honestly, it was losing money like crazy, billions of dollars in debt.
Oh wow.
The old way of calculating risk just wasn't cutting it, especially with climate change making things worse.
So they needed to get with the times.
Yeah, exactly.
Be more accurate so they could actually pay out when they needed to.
But for a lot of homeowners, it means higher premiums.
Higher? How much higher are we talking?
Well, it really depends.
The new system looks at every property individually.
Like how high is it? How far from water?
Even how much it would cost to rebuild.
Oh wow, that's pretty thorough.
Yeah, but like the article said, Louisiana could see premiums go up 122%.
122%.
That's insane.
Yeah, and the Florida Keys, those rates could triple,
but those are like the worst case scenarios.
It's capped each year, so you won't see a jump like that all at once.
Okay, well that's something.
So how do you even figure out what your rate's going to be with this new system?
It's actually not as bad as you might think.
FEMA put out this whole spreadsheet.
It breaks down all the changes from risk rating 2.0, by state, by ZIP code, even by county.
Oh, so you can see how it affects you specifically.
Exactly, which is good because knowledge is power, right?
Especially with all this stuff changing all the time.
Definitely.
It makes you wonder, like who's going to want to live near the water anymore with all this going on?
It's a good question.
And it kind of leads to this bigger conversation, you know?
Like how do we develop responsibly?
How do we adapt to climate change?
What's the future of living near water?
It's a lot to unpack.
Yeah, it really makes you stop and think.
It's kind of like, are we even supposed to live near water anymore?
It's a big question, for sure.
And these conversations about it, they're happening everywhere, you know?
All up and down the coast, people are trying to figure it out.
So where do we go from here?
We've talked about a lot, probably enough to make anyone's head spin.
What are the big takeaways?
What do we do with all this?
Well, I think the first thing is just being aware, you know?
Understanding what causes these problems, what tools are out there, what the risks actually are.
That's a huge first step.
Totally.
Like they say, four warned is four armed, right?
We can't make smart choices if we don't even know what we're dealing with.
Exactly.
And it's not even just about if you live right on the water.
This stuff affects everyone, you know?
Property values, insurance, the whole community.
It's like it all flows together.
One big system.
Exactly.
So awareness is huge.
And then from there, it's about taking action.
So like what kind of action?
Well, this deep dive, it's giving you a really good starting point.
Take those tools we talked about, you know?
Climate check, risk factor, even that FEMA spreadsheet for the insurance changes.
Right.
Play around with those, see what they tell you about your area.
Be your own flood detective.
Check out your property, your neighborhood, and maybe even get involved locally, you know?
Like with community groups, planning boards, that kind of thing.
Exactly.
Because it's not just about what each of us does.
It's about what we do together as a community.
Absolutely.
Well, we covered a lot of ground today.
We talked about FEMA maps, those new risk assessment tools,
ways to find out about properties, flood history, sea level rise, even the moon.
And of course, flood insurance.
Can't forget about that.
It's a lot to think about.
But hopefully everyone listening feels a little more prepared, you know?
Like they can actually do something about all this.
Absolutely.
And remember, it's one thing to know about these things, but we have to actually act on them.
Take this information, do your own research, and most importantly, talk to people.
Talk to your neighbors.
Talk to your local officials.
The more we all understand, the better off we'll be, you know?
Kind of set it better myself.
And on that note, we'll leave you with this what if, instead of trying to fight against water,
we learned to live with it.
What if we saw ourselves as part of that system, not separate from it?
Just something to think about as we move forward into this uncertain future.