Rising seas predicted to flood thousands of affordable housing units by 2050
A flooded street is seen at nightfall during rains from Hurricane Sandy on October 29th, 2012, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. | Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images
Coastal cities in the US could find themselves grappling with a new housing crisis in the coming decades. The number of affordable housing units vulnerable to flooding could triple by 2050 as the planet heats up, according to a new study. That amounts to more than 24,000 homes that could flood at least once a year by 2050, compared to about 8,000 in 2000.
The study, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, ranks the states and cities at greatest risk. Its authors also unveiled a new interactive map that people can use to see how their hometown might be affected.
The Verge is an ambitious multimedia effort founded in 2011