Top 10 US Cities Most Vulnerable to Flooding by Storm Surge - Part 1

While all coastal areas can experience storm surge flooding, there are certain areas that are subject to larger losses. Big Bags USA® wants to help you understand your specific risk so that you can be prepared. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the top US cities most vulnerable to flooding by storm surge and why in the first segment of this two-part series.

10 US Cities Most Vulnerable to Flooding by Storm Surge

In a study by Karen Clark and Company, the top 10 US cities most vulnerable to storm surge flooding were identified. Rather than using the population or numbers of properties subject to coastal inundation without estimates of the resulting damage, this study is based on the estimated property damage and losses likely to be experienced in specific events. In addition, this is the first study that normalizes the locations based on probability and ranks cities based on damages and losses from an equally likely event.

1. Tampa, Florida 

At the top of the list is Tampa, Florida. It’s the most vulnerable US city when it comes to flooding due to storm surge for a few different reasons:

• The continental shelf is relatively wide off the west coast of Florida, which means the water depth will accentuate the rise in seas surface from a major hurricane.
• Tampa Bay creates a large funnel, meaning that a severe storm with the right track orientation will cause an enormous buildup of water that will become trapped in the bay and inundate large areas of Tampa and St. Petersburg.
• 50% of the population lives on ground elevations less than 10 feet.

While Tampa hasn’t had a direct hit by a major storm since 1921, it’s had some close calls. In 2004, Hurricane Charley was headed in Tampa’s direction, but made an unexpected turn to the south just before making landfall.

2. New Orleans, Louisiana

With half the city either at or below sea level, it’s no surprise that New Orleans would also be at the top of this list. Local water depths favor higher storm surges than average. Due to the extremely low elevation and marshy terrain, storm surges can travel tens of miles inland before weakening. As seen with Hurricane Katrina, additional flooding is likely from the overflowing of Lake Pontchartrain. Since Katrina, an extensive levee system has been constructed and further strengthened. However, even if the system is effective, over-topping is still likely during a strong Category 5 hurricane. While Hurricane Katrina was only a Category 3, its size is what produced the magnitude of storm surge and flooding losses.

3. New York City, New York

The City of New York offers long coastlines, with unique coastal features that make the area particularly susceptible to storm surge flooding. Lower Manhattan, Staten Island, and the south shore of Long Island are likely to experience high surges. Hurricanes in the northeast tend to be large storms and the size is what drives the magnitude of the storm surge. The westerly track of Superstorm Sandy causing it to make landfall nearly perpendicular to the New Jersey coast is very rare. While another storm with that track has a low probability, if a Category 3 hurricane were to take that route, storm surge losses could exceed $100 Billion.

4. Miami, Florida

In general, the coastal features of Miami aren’t all that favorable to storm surge compared to other areas for a couple reasons:

• The continental shelf falls off very steeply.
• The coastline is relatively free of significant bays or other features that could create channeling effects.

From a physical perspective, storm surge should be low in this area. However, Miami’s vulnerability stems from the sheer magnitude of property values near the coast along with low coastal elevations. In addition, Miami is one of the most likely areas for a direct hit from a severe Category 5 storm. While it hasn’t had a direct hit by a major storm since the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, a strong Category 5, if it were to hit, could cause some costly damages in this area.

5. Fort Myers, Florida

Due to its location on the west coast of Florida, Fort Myers will likely experience very high storm surge from a major hurricane making landfall north of the city. The risk in this area is due to several factors:

• The continental shelf is wide.
• Most of the population is below 10 feet elevation.

Since Fort Myers is further south and in a higher hurricane frequency zone, a more intense storm is needed to cause the amount of damage as a smaller storm in the Tampa area explained above. While the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 didn’t come ashore at Fort Myers, it brushed the southwestern tip of Florida with Category 5 wind speeds. If an event like that were to make a direct hit, Fort Myers would likely be completely inundated by the storm surge.

At Big Bags USA®, we want to help everyone, especially those people in these high risk areas, to be prepared for flooding. Our innovative flood barriersystems provide lightning fast protection at a fraction of the cost typically associated with rapid deployed systems. For more information on our flood protection products, give us a call at 800-337-0537.

Source: http://www.karenclarkandco.com/news/publications/pdf/KCC_StormSurge_20150820.pdf

If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.

BIG BAGS USA®

D.R.I.P.S.

Disaster Relief & Innovative

Protection Systems, LLC

(573) 480-6699

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