The greatest threat from the oncoming Hurricane Florence was never the wind, even though many breathed a sigh of relief as it got downgraded to a Category 1 storm prior to landfall. In Florence’s wake, it is the water that continues to wreak havoc throughout the region. This fact reflects a flaw in the country’s storm rating system and in the way development in nature’s path is prepared to guard against extreme weather events.
Images from the battered Carolinas are distressing, and we commend the rapid response of emergency crews and the thousands of volunteers offering what they can to alleviate the trauma of evacuees and those left behind. After such an event, it is inappropriate to blame any person, group or action for the devastation, when what the affected communities need is unified support from all parties. Nevertheless, such events can be instructive for communities preparing for future catastrophe.
Recently released Census data suggests many in the nation avoid confronting the problem of catastrophic flooding. According to the Census Bureau, some of the fastest-growing counties in the country are located adjacent to the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts — places where the most destructive flooding often occurs. Not only are these regions growing in population, the Bureau also reports that “coastline counties contain some of the country’s largest centers of population and economic activity.”
Experts tend to agree that there are three factors that produce massive flooding: storm surges, heavy rainfall and rising sea levels. The intense dispute about rising sea levels can unfortunately silence the discussion about storm surges and heavy rainfalls. Yet hurricanes and typhoons from this year and last demonstrate these two factors are no longer theoretical possibilities, they are real facts of life.
Assumptions need to be revisited and new infrastructure guidelines implemented for protecting life and property.
Unfortunately, natural catastrophe has become a politically charged topic where rational debate often gets lost in partisan bickering. North Carolina offers an example. A few years back, a discussion about future economic development got tangled up with the politically laced debates regarding climate change. As reported in The New York Times, the outcome was that North Carolina enacted legislation and procedures that in effect disregarded data that sea levels were projected to rise. But limiting protections against possible flooding because of political differences can produce serious collateral damage anywhere in the country.
Multiple recent flooding events have now proven common planning assumptions regarding surges and rain accumulation are inadequate. These assumptions need to be revisited and new infrastructure guidelines implemented for protecting life and property.
Some arguments against spending more to shore up communities in the line of natural disaster focus on the drag such projects could create on the local economy. What’s missing, though, is protections against increasingly severe storms will also protect local economies from being completely wiped out. As in any storm, waiting until it starts raining to start building makeshift levees doesn’t work.
All areas in harm’s way, including coastal regions, Tornado Alley and even the Wasatch Front, should take opportunities to prepare for the worst. It’s impossible to change the course of nature, but individuals, families and communities can act today with thought for the future.