25% of all U.S. critical infrastructure at risk of failure due to flooding: report

A new report from the nonprofit research and technology organization First Street Foundation says that around a quarter of all critical infrastructure in the U.S. is at risk of failure due to flooding.

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That's about 36,000 facilities in the U.S., including airports, hospitals, fire stations and roads, that are at risk of becoming inoperable due to floods.

Experts fear the increasing threat of climate change will make the situation worse. Over the next 30 years, due to the impacts of climate change, an additional 1.2 million residential properties, 66,000 commercial properties, 63,000 miles of roads, 6,100 pieces of social infrastructure and 2,000 pieces of critical infrastructure will also have flood risk that would render them inoperable.

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The states found to be at the highest risk were Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia and Florida with 17 of the top 20 most at-risk counties in the U.S. (85%) residing in these 4 states. 

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You can learn more about the risk to your community for free at Flood Factor.