Tag: sea level rise flooding

When It Comes to Sea Level Rise and Real Estate, What You Can and Can’t See Can Hurt You

If you’ve lived in condo buildings near the coast for twenty years as I have, you know that every so often the buildings have to be inspected as part of routine maintenance. When inspectors find areas of stucco, concrete and rebar that have deteriorated due to intrusion from salty ocean moisture and rain, crews have to remove the trouble areas or, in some instances, reseal entire buildings. This type of pro-active maintenance is the sign of a well-managed building.

After the tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, last summer, that resulted in the deaths of 98 people, some structural engineers wondered if sea level rise had caused ocean water to bathe underground support structures and garage walls, contributing to the building’s collapse. No ruling has been made to date, but the building’s collapse has caused some coastal cities and towns to either implement stricter building inspection protocols or to wait and see if the state is going to pass tougher inspection rules.

Regardless of their state’s inspection rules — which vary widely — owners and buyers of coastal real estate need to take the initiative and consider the risk rising seas pose to coastal real estate. Owners can no longer passively rely on their condo boards to do what’s right for their buildings. They need to get involved and make sure that they’re up to date on inspections, their buildings are being well-maintained, repairs are made promptly when problems are found above and below ground, and reserves are being built for the day when repairs are needed.

Buyers, too, need to make sure that their pre-purchase inspections include not only an analysis of their unit, but a detailed look at the current condition of the buildings and common areas — including beaches, seawalls, steps and garages. They also need to know how well the buildings have been maintained, the commitment of the condo boards to conduct routine maintenance and build reserves to cover them, and whether or not there are repair projects that need to be implemented in the near future — especially since they can lead to hefty special assessments.

In addition to gathering this information, owners and buyers should have a sense of how ever-rising seas are expected to impact their buildings and neighborhoods during the period they hope to live in the property. Sea level rise flooding can make roads unusable and interrupt essential services. It can also lead to increased carrying costs, including condo fees, special assessments, taxes, and insurance.

Sea level rise poses risks above ground and below ground in vulnerable coastal communities. Everyone involved in coastal real estate needs to acknowledge that it’s a growing problem and do what they can to protect their lives, properties and financial futures.

When We Play Politics with Climate Change, Everyone Loses

Two years ago, the first case of Covid-19 was identified in the U.S. Since that fateful day, 860 thousand Americans have lost their lives to the virus and millions have been sickened. Unfortunately, politics played a role in many of these casualties. We can’t afford let this happen when it comes to the climate change crisis and sea level rise flooding.

At the national level, President Biden took office a year ago. One of his stated goals was to pass the Build Back Better bill, which includes $555 billion to address climate change. Included in the legislation are projects that would promote renewable energy and clean transportation to help the country dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Unfortunately, Build Back Better has been all but killed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, who has strong ties to his home state’s coal industry. Clearly his decision was made for his own political survival, not for the survival of the planet we all call home.

We’re seeing political shenanigans at the state level, too. In Florida, for example, Gov. Ron DeSantis has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in projects to protect real estate and critical infrastructure from sea level rise flooding. Among the projects being funded are new sea walls, pump stations, and stormwater sewers, along with the restoration of crumbling canal banks. This is good for the low-elevation state that’s extremely at-risk from global warming-fueled rising tides and more powerful hurricanes with stronger storm surges.

Unfortunately, Gov. DeSantis undermined his responsible approach to sea level rise flooding by injecting clearly partisan political venom when it came to addressing the root cause of sea level rise flooding: the burning of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

During the December news conference to announce his sea level rise infrastructure improvement initiative, the governor wouldn’t use terms like sea level rise and climate change, both of which could inflame his supporters — many of whom believe they’re hoaxes or minor problems. When a reporter asked Gov. DeSantis about global warming, he said, “What I’ve found is when people start talking about things like global warming they typically use that as a pretext to do a bunch of left-wing things that they would want to do anyways. And so we’re not doing any left-wing stuff.”

It’s pretty clear that the governor defines “left-wing stuff” as any actions that would reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Scientists say the only way to avoid the worst-case scenario of over eight feet of sea level rise by 2100 is to dramatically cut back on fossil fuel consumption. Gov. DeSantis’s approach to building defenses against sea level rise flooding but ignoring the root causes driving the tides ever higher, essentially dooms all of Florida’s coastal communities but especially those south of Lake Okeechobee to being potentially wiped off the map by the end of this century.

If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that playing politics with scientifically established facts during a global crisis is dangerous. For example, a National Public Radio analysis found that the counties that have suffered the greatest number of Covid-related deaths were those that were the most susceptible to misinformation from hyper-partisan politicians and media outlets. Basically, despite scientific evidence that vaccination saves lives, the misinformed residents chose not to get vaccinated and they paid with their lives at a number many times higher than those who got jabbed.

It has to be noted here that Gov. DeSantis has consistently downplayed the use of proven methods of reining in Covid-19 — vaccines, boosters, masks and social distancing — and pushed treatments that can be used AFTER people become infected. An LA Times analysis published during the heat of the delta outbreak late last summer, determined that his approach came at the cost of thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Taking a similar, non-scientific, politically-charged approach to climate change will have disastrous consequences for humanity today and for many generations to come. Without action to reduce the release of greenhouse gases today, we will certainly see a worsening of the droughts, wildfires, heat waves, extreme storms, and sea level rise flooding that have plagued the nation lately for decades to come.

The bottom line here is if we want to save our real estate and our way of life, we need to reach a consensus based on scientific fact, not political maneuvering, and invest in policies that will yield real results, real fast. If we don’t, we’re going to learn the hard way that when we try to gaslight the Earth, which is subject to basic laws of physics, we’re the one who will gets burned.

Public vs. Private Interests Come to a Head Over South Carolina Seawall

Solving sea level rise flooding challenges requires public/private partnerships. For example, when a coastal community is defending itself against repeated flooding events, government officials may have to require that both public and private seawalls be raised to a certain height to create a continuous barrier to stop the floodwaters.

Sometimes, however, public and private interests are at odds and difficult decisions have to be made. Such is the case at Debordieu Beach in South Carolina.

According to an article in The State newspaper, the owners of four homes built a sandbag seawall to protect their property from severe beach erosion at a point where a wooden seawall is failing. In keeping with state law, staff members at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) ordered the seawall removed.

The property owners responded to the order by exploiting a loophole in the law. They found a scientist at Coastal Carolina University who agreed to study how well the sandbags performed as a seawall after they were buried during a beach nourishment project. Such experiments can be approved by the DHEC if there’s a chance they will succeed.

The staff members remained steadfast in their opposition to the seawall, saying that the science is established. Past experience has shown the seawall will make erosion of the public beach even worse. South Carolina has banned hard seawalls for this reason for many years.

On a 3-to-2 vote the DHEC’s politically appointed board voted to overrule the staff and allow the sandbag seawall to remain.

Observers are concerned that the board’s decision will lead to more property owners installing sandbag seawalls or other experimental methods to protect their real estate with the potential loss of sandy beaches.

This type of public/private conflict is occurring in other areas, too. For example, property owners in Charleston, SC, and Miami, FL, are concerned that high barriers proposed to stop storm surge will block their views. And homeowners in Miami Beach, FL, have sued the city after roads elevated to stop sea level rise flooding have actually led to their property being flooded by rainstorm runoff.

As sea level continues to rise, there’s bound to be more conflict between public/private interests. In cases where what’s good for the public isn’t necessarily good for a private real estate owner, following the science for the greater good is the best policy. Seeking solutions that help property owners to adapt to any changes made that impact their property or fairly compensating them when sacrifice is the only solution has to be part of the mix, too.

Another Florida City Passes a Seawall Height Ordinance to Fend Off Sea Level Rise Flooding

As sea level continues to rise and flood real estate, coastal communities are starting to wake up to the fact that a laissez-faire approach to seawalls won’t cut it any more. If the height and maintenance of seawalls isn’t regulated by cities and towns, there’s a chance floodwater is going to course over the lowest seawall in a series and flood the owner’s and neighbors’ properties, not to mention critical roads and infrastructure.

This week, the city commission in Delray Beach — located in southern Palm Beach County, Florida — responded to sea level rise flooding from inadequate seawalls along the Intracoastal Waterway. By a unanimous vote, the commission approved seawall ordinances similar to a breakthrough seawall ordinance passed two years ago in Broward County, Florida, that covered Fort Lauderdale and other coastal cities and towns.

Delray Beach’s new regulations close a gap that allowed private property owners free range over their seawalls, even if they were deficient and causing flooding problems for the surrounding area.

“The city is where the rubber meets the road,” Vice-Mayor Shirley Johnson said. “The county isn’t going to say this is going on. The state isn’t going to do it. And the federal government? They’re so far away they don’t even halfway know what’s going on, even though the Army Corps of Engineers does their level best. … So the city is left to do the work of enforcing, monitoring, being aware.”

The seawall regulations require the owners of new construction properties to build seawalls 4.2 feet over the base flood elevation as identified in FEMA Flood Insurance Rate maps. If the owner builds a seawall under that height, it must be designed to allow the construction of a height extender to bring it in line with the regulation.

City officials said they don’t plan to aggressively enforce the seawall regulations. According to the regulations, however, if flooding is reported from a deficient seawall, the city will require the owner to “demonstrate progress toward repairing the cited defect within 60 days of receiving notice from the city, and complete any necessary repairs within 365 days of receiving notice.” Property owners could face fines if they fail to meet the requirements.

In addition to the seawall height and maintenance requirements, the new regulations require sellers to disclose to buyers that the property of interest is subject to the new ordinances. The following language must be included in sales contracts: “This real estate is located in a tidally influenced area. The owner may be required by county or municipal ordinance to meet minimum tidal flood barrier elevation standards during construction or substantial repair or substantial rehabilitation to the property or the seawalls, banks, berms, and similar infrastructure or when required to abate nuisance flooding.”

With sea level rise continuing and, quite frankly, accelerating, more coastal cities and towns are bound to consider similar seawall regulations. Real estate sellers and owners and real estate agents in coastal areas need to stay aware of what’s happening in their communities as the regulations can have costly consequences.

The cost of building or repairing a seawall can run well into the tens of thousands of dollars or even higher, depending on the length of the seawall and the materials used. In addition, acquiring permits for seawall construction from federal, state, county and local governments can require a fair amount of paperwork and take longer than 365 day project completion limit.

Record High Ocean Temperature has Serious Consequences for Coastal Real Estate

For the third year in a row, global ocean temperature was the hottest on record in 2021, according to a study published today in the Journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. Furthermore, the past five years have seen the hottest ocean temperature in over 60 years.

The increase in ocean temperature is tracking ever higher temperatures recorded on land and in the atmosphere. Scientists blame humans burning fossil fuels — such as coal, oil and natural gas — for the global warming that started during the Industrial Revolution.

As ocean water heats up, it expands. Experts credit 1/3 of sea level rise to expansion. The rest is due to glacier melt running off into the sea.

In addition to sea level rise flooding, warmer ocean water threatens coastal real estate by increasing glacier melt and by fueling stronger tropical storms and hurricanes and more intense rainfall events. It also threatens to contaminate fresh water supplies through saltwater intrusion.

Kevin Trenberth, a study author and scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric research in Colorado, told CNN: “To stop this (trend), we really need to get to net-zero (emissions), and many countries have plans but not enough actions to support those. In the meantime, we must prepare better and build resilience.”

“Changes to engineering design, building codes, and modifications to coastal development plans are recommended in anticipation of increased sea levels and increases in extreme precipitation events, which are already being observed,” according to the study.

Fossil Fuel Emissions Behind Global Warming and Sea Level Rise Are Roaring Back

The numbers are in, and fossil fuel emissions and global warming — drivers of sea level rise flooding — continue to head in a dangerous direction. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service , a non-partisan organization that tracks Earth’s temperature, 2021 was the fifth warmest year on record and the last seven years have been the warmest ever recorded. The organization also reported that the global concentration of carbon dioxide, the most plentiful greenhouse gas, continues to rise.

Adding to the troubling trend is the fact that greenhouse gas emissions rebounded at a rapid rate after the pandemic slump. The Rhodium Group released a report that found that US greenhouse gas emissions, which had been in gradual decline since about 2010, increased 6.2% in 2021. The good news, if there is any, is that 2021 levels were still 5% below those recorded in 2019.

The Rhodium group report said the switch back to coal burning for electricity — in response to high natural gas prices — was behind much of the increase in emissions. Road transportation as economic activity picked up also added to the emissions spike.

The link between fossil fuel burning, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the increase in temperatures on land and sea to ever-worsening sea level rise flooding, heatwaves, wildfires, drought, damaging storms and other climate calamities is well established. The setback in reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions is stalling US efforts to combat global warming as is the inability of Congress to pass President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, which includes a $555 billion investment in renewable energy, electric cars and other measures. The critical bill is largely being held back by Joe Manchin a Democratic Senator from the coal state of West Virginia.

The US, of course, isn’t the only country contributing to Earth’s greenhouse gas load. China and India, which together account for two-thirds of global coal consumption according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), show no signs of slowing down. To make matters worse, both countries insisted that last year’s United Nation’s Climate Change water-down language regarding coal consumption. They would only agree to a “phase-down” in the use of coal instead of an accelerated “phase-out”.

Our home planet, of course, was not given a seat in the negotiations, but it is, nonetheless, speaking loud and clear. Through the rapid upward trend in climate catastrophes it’s telling us: Try to gaslight Earth, get burned.

Real estate buyers, sellers, owners and agents in coastal communities who are counting on rational environmental policy changes to protect their investments and livelihoods need to get involved and vote for candidates dedicated to a rapid reduction in the use of fossil fuels, like coal and oil, to turn this thing around.

Hundreds of Flood Survivors Demand that FEMA Do More to Protect Them from Climate Change-Driven Natural Catastrophes

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) asked for public input on changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) last fall. Over 300 people hit by flooding are responding by signing a petition drafted by Anthropocene Alliance — a nonprofit group “fighting for climate and environmental justice”.

Anthropocene Alliance doesn’t mince words in the petition, which is addressed to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. In the introduction, the group states clearly, “We are flood survivors, and we are angry.”

“We’ve witnessed death and destruction from Hurricanes Harvey, Florence, Laura, Sally, Sandy, Matthew, Irma, Delta, and Zeta, as well as from overland flooding in the Midwest,” the petition states.  “We’ve lived without electricity, running water, and secure shelter. We’ve heard our children cry from the absence of friends, school, and safety. And we’ve confronted homelessness, illness, and mind-numbing red tape from insurance companies and government agencies.”

The petition makes very specific demands of FEMA, including:

  • Stop allowing developers, disreputable planners, engineers and politicians to use the NFIP to encourage building in flood zones that puts the new properties and surrounding properties at risk of flooding.
  • Stop paying for the repair of property that floods repeatedly and, instead, “prioritize mitigation measures such as elevation, home buyouts, and community relocation.”
  • Start planning now to relocate whole towns and cities threatened by sea level rise flooding.
  • Improve the accuracy of FEMA flood maps that take climate change and sea level rise into account.
  • Require states to to pass uniform seller’s disclosure laws that clearly state a property’s flood risk in order for properties in the states to be eligible for coverage under the NFIP.
  • Set NFIP premiums that adequately reflect flood risk, and ensure it’s “affordable and accessible to low-income households until such time that the communities can be moved out of harm’s way.”
  • Make buyouts more desirable by covering the true cost residents of areas that flood will have to pay to move to areas free of flooding.
  • Protect or restore natural barriers to flooding, such floodplains, wetlands, forests, watersheds, salt marshes and beaches.

In the closing paragraph of the petition signed by Harriet Festing, Anthropocene Alliance’s executive director, the group encourages FEMA to open a dialogue with them.

“The flood survivors below all believe that for our children to have a safe and healthy planet, we need to quickly end fossil fuel use and transition to an economy focused on the satisfaction of real, human needs,” the petition states. “At the same time, provision must be made to protect individuals and communities from present and future harms due to more intense storms, rising sea levels, subsidence, bad development, and flooding.”

With so much at stake, buyers, sellers, owners and real estate agents in coastal areas need to band together with groups like Anthropocene Alliance to pressure the federal, state and local governments to do what’s right for all property owners in coastal areas susceptible to sea level rise flooding. Voting for candidates who not only recognize the challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise flooding but who are prepared to do something about them is also essential.

Sea Level Rise Flooding is Forcing Coastal Communities to Pass Seawall Height Mandates for Real Estate Owners

We’ve all heard the saying “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” The same is true for seawalls. A coastal community can strive to build a solid line of seawalls high enough to prevent ever-worsening sea level rise flooding, but if one public or private seawall in the series isn’t high enough to deal with the the next extreme tide event, floodwaters can inundate nearby real estate.

This reality is forcing communities to consider seawall height requirement ordinances similar to a law passed a few years ago in Broward County, Florida. According to the county’s “Build It High, Keep It Dry” brochure: “All property owners must maintain a tidal flood barrier in good repair. A tidal flood barrier is presumed in disrepair if it allows tidal waters to flow unimpeded through or over the barrier and on to adjacent property or rights-of-way. If a property is reported and documented to cause flooding of adjacent roads for neighboring properties it will be cited and required to prevent flood trespass within one year.”

The county says the seawall ordinance, the first in Florida, benefits property owners because it encourages them to budget for seawall adaptations before flooding occurs, which also protects their property value. A list of action steps recommended by the county includes determining the property elevation, gathering construction quotes, considering financing options, hiring an experienced contractor (who will get the required permits from the city, county, state and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), and actually constructing the new seawall or flood barrier.

The impact of the new seawall ordinance on real estate owners is substantial. For example, a property owner can be fined for failing to maintain seawalls that prevent flooding. They are also required to disclose to buyers that seawalls are covered by the new law. A contract for sale in an affected area must state the following: “This real estate is located in a tidally influenced area. The owner may be required by county or municipal ordinance to meet minimum tidal flood barrier elevation standards during construction or substantial repair or substantial rehabilitation of seawalls, banks, berms, and similar infrastructure when required to abate nuisance flooding.”

Buyers, sellers, owners and real estate agents need to pay attention to the passage and implementation of seawall height requirement laws in their communities. The cost to repair or replace a seawall can run into tens of thousands of dollars — or even more — depending on factors such as the length of the seawall, its design, and the construction materials used. Real estate agents should encourage buyers to have seawalls inspected before submitting an offer. They should also make sure that sellers include any required language regarding local seawall ordinances in sales contracts.

Owners, too, should consider getting their seawalls inspected to make sure they meet the local codes. Inspection results will also help them to budget for any current or future repairs that may be needed. Seawalls typically last 30-50 years before they need to be replaced, but sea level rise, which is accelerating as the climate warms, may shorten their lifespan.

As with all laws that attempt to address global warming and sea level rise flooding, the new seawall height ordinances are bound to result in property owner lawsuits. The truth is, however, that lawsuits are not going to stop sea level rise — reducing the release of greenhouse gases will — and, ultimately, someone is going to have to pay the freight to upgrade seawalls to prevent flooding to extend the time that coastal communities will be inhabitable. Buyers and owners need to assess the cost to make informed real estate decisions.

Can Sand Dunes Save Hundreds of Homes in a California Town from Sea Level Rise Flooding?

Communities all along the U.S. coastline are scrambling to find ways to save coastal real estate from sea level rise flooding. Stinson Beach in California is now considering sand dunes as a way to keep rising seas from damaging or destroying over half of the town’s 775 homes by 2030.

An article published in the San Francisco Chronicle explains that Stinson Beach is already vulnerable to ocean flooding and has lost homes to the ocean during severe storms in the past. Sea level rise is making it likely even more homes will be lost in the near future, especially if nothing is done to hold back ever higher tides.

Marin County is exploring the possibility of building ecologically-correct sand dunes to protect the structures. County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni told the Chronicle that investing time and money in the dunes might be worth it, even if they provide only a temporary reprieve.

A study released in 2016 predicted that Stinson Beach would lose its beach by 2050. By the end of the century, up to 600 homes worth $1.5 billion would be flood-ravaged beyond repair. Marin County estimates that sand dune construction will cost up to $55 million, while more-permanent, less ecologically-friendly solutions, like seawalls, will cost up to $155 million to build.

Stinson Beach isn’t the only California coastal community facing this dire future. The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that up to $10 billion worth of California real estate will be claimed by the sea by 2050.

Stinson Beach’s situation is a powerful reminder that real estate buyers and owners need to stay up to speed on the level of threat sea level rise flooding poses to their communities so they can make informed decisions regarding property that may only be viable for a few decades before its claimed by the sea.

Groundwater Pushed Up By Sea Level Rise Poses a Threat To Coastal Real Estate

When we think of sea level rise flooding, we think of salt water spilling across beaches, wetlands or sea walls and onto the land, but that’s not the whole story.

In many coastal areas, salty seawater sits in porous soil layers beneath the fresh water aquifer. As sea level rises, the salty seawater, which is denser than fresh water is forced inland where it pushes the fresh water table up toward the surface. This type of groundwater flooding is already creating a challenge for many coastal communities battling classic sea level rise flooding.

In Miami, for instance, some neighborhoods far from the coast are flooding because soils saturated from higher groundwater can no longer absorb heavy rains. The saturated soils are also rendering septic systems inoperable as wastewater that’s carried out into leaching fields cannot be absorbed by already saturated soils.

According to an article by Kendra Pierre-Louis published in MIT Technology Review (“How rising groundwater caused by climate change could devastate coastal communities”) rising groundwater presents a “potentially catastrophic” threat to homes and infrastructure. “Roadways will be eroded from below,” she writes, “septic systems won’t drain, seawalls will keep the ocean out but trap the water seeping up, leading to more flooding. Home foundations will crack; sewers will backflow and potentially leak toxic gases into people’s homes.” Pierre-Louis explores the challenges in great detail in her excellent piece.

Experts say Miami (and all of South Florida, for that matter) isn’t alone in confronting this threat. Kristina Hill, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Pierre-Louis that flat coastal areas with a type of geology that allows water to move easily through the ground are at risk. The list also includes Oakland, California, Brooklyn, New York, Mountain View, California and Washington, DC.

Of great concern here is that cities might spend billions of dollars on seawalls, elevating streets and properties, and other efforts to combat classic sea level rise, but if they don’t consider the threat posed by the rising water table that can defeat those measures from below the investment could be a colossal waste of time and money.

Buyers of real estate in coastal communities that are vulnerable to this type of flooding need to understand that flooding from beneath poses as great a threat to their investment as flooding on the surface. They need to make sure that properties of interest — and nearby properties and roads — have not experienced groundwater flooding and are not at risk of experiencing it during the period they intend to own a property. They also need to know if the septic system (if they’re not hooked up to municipal service) is operational, if pipes providing water and sewer service are in good shape, what government officials are doing to address the problem, and how much any efforts to mitigate the problem will contribute to their water and sewer bills and taxes.

Ultimately, with the enormity of the land area at-risk, combatting groundwater rise will likely prove as — if not more — difficult than fighting classic sea level rise. The best choice, therefore, is to prevent the sea level/groundwater rise itself by adopting renewable energy sources that slow and stop the global warming that’s driving it.