What 500-year flooding could look like around five cities

[brooklynite]

Washington Post:

Hurricane Harvey pummeled the Houston area with an unprecedented four feet of rain, making it the most extreme rain event in U.S. history. Cars and houses are underwater, and thousands of people have needed or await rescue.

The event has been called a “500-year flood”— a flood event that has a one-in-500 chance of occurring in any given year in that location. Residents in 500-year flood zones aren’t required to purchase flood insurance, even though there is more than a 5 percent chance, more than one in 20, of a 500-year flood over a 30-year mortgage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mandates that people living in the high-risk 100-year flood zone purchase flood insurance. While a 1 percent chance every year sounds unlikely, consider that it equates to roughly a 25 percent chance over a 30-year mortgage. A 500-year flood has roughly a 5 percent chance.

Hundreds of thousands of people live in flood-prone cities like Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and New York.

NYC seems surprisingly safe, and I'm up in Brooklyn Heights...

[CentralMass]

1. Interesting article.. Hurricanr Sandy seemed like a possible harbinger of thr changing climate.

[CentralMass]

2. Btw, how was your eclipse viewing adventure ?

[brooklynite]

3. I was back in NYC, but with decent glasses. Has a good view of 84% coverage...

...but couldn't get any good photos.

[CentralMass]

5. That's funny. I happened to catch your post about finding some glasses in Portland.

I live just outside of Portland and took it for granted that the seemingly ample supply of them in the local stores wouldn't run out. I was wrong. I watched from an area that wasn't quite in the totality zone. I built a pinhole viewer and got to borrow some glasses for a peek now and then.

[AngryAmish]

4. No worries, lads. I am high and dry.

My house is 110 years old and in big water my foundation gets over topped. But my rug down there is cheap and I got fans.