Disability

Warm water in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico can fuel powerful hurricanes, but how destructive a storm becomes isn’t just about the climate and weather – it also depends on the people and property in harm’s way. In many coastal cities, fast population growth has left more people living in areas at high risk of flooding. I am a geographer who studies the human dimensions of climate change and natural disasters. My research and mapping with colleagues shows that socially vulnerable communities – those least able to prepare for disasters or recover afterward – tend to be concentrated in areas that are more susceptible to flooding, particularly on the Gulf Coast. Larger, vulnerable populations Nearly 40% of the U.S. population lives in a coastal county today. Many of these areas are increasingly exposed to disasters, including hurricanes and high tide flooding that has been worsened by sea level rise. The Gulf of Mexico region, in particular,...