What a Future Hurricane Florence Might Look Like

A recent analysis conducted by First Street Foundation modeled the impact from Hurricane Florence’s storm surge on residential developments, changing the estimated impact by considering different sea level height scenarios.

Based on conservative simulations of sea level rise, Hurricane Florence would have spared more than 11,000 additional homes had sea levels been at 1970 levels.

Thirty years from now the Army Corps of Engineers estimates that sea levels in the southeast region of the United States will rise to more than a foot above current levels, placing the overall sea over a foot and half higher than it was in 1970. A similar storm with that additional water would double the homes impacted by a future Hurricane Florence, placing the number of affected homes above 100,000.

Many towns in the region are still waiting for water levels to go down to fully begin the clean-up effort from the record flooding they experienced.