flood-prone areas News

Flooding Due to Climate Change Caused $75 Billion of Damage in the U.S.

It’s long been established that warming temperatures cause more frequent and intense precipitation. But placing a dollar value on the contribution of climate change to storm damage has been tricky. Now, Stanford University researchers have determined that a third of …

Tropical Storm Barry May Form in Gulf of Mexico Later This Week

A tropical storm may loom in the Gulf of Mexico late Wednesday or early on July 11 as a low pressure system moves off Georgia into warm waters, gaining strength and threatening offshore oil and natural gas production. The patch …

Flood of 2008 Changed Wisconsin Landscape, Taught Lessons

A devastating flood in 2008 that killed three people and caused $763 million in damage also changed the landscape of many Wisconsin counties – and while the changes were hard to stomach for some, authorities say the state learned valuable …

Hurricane Sandy Expected Ashore Monday Night

Hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, battered the densely populated East Coast on Monday, shutting down transportation, forcing evacuations in flood-prone areas and interrupting the presidential election campaign. Fierce winds and flooding were …

Congress Votes to Keep Flood Insurance Program

Congress on Friday approved a 5-year extension to the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers 5.6 million people. Failure to renew the program would have been a blow to the fragile housing market because potential homeowners in flood-susceptible areas would …

Louisiana Parish Assembles ‘Cat 5’ Flood Team

Terrebonne Parish, La., officials have begun the annual work of assembling the parish’s “Cat 5” team. The task force is charged with identifying places in the parish that flood excessively in heavy rain. The team was created following Hurricane Gustav …

Environmental Groups Sue U.S. Over Flood Management

The National Wildlife Federation filed a motion in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, asking a judge to stop the U.S. government from issuing any more flood insurance policies for new development in flood-prone areas around the Puget Sound until it …