Global Warming May Cause More Severe Flooding
The recent floods in the Midwest have been classed as a once in a 100 or 500 years event, however it’s the third time such large scale flooding that has occurred in the past 35 years. Researchers have stated that global warming could be the cause of more frequent severe flooding in the future.
“Although no single weather event can be attributed to global warming, it’s critical to understand that a warming climate is supplying the very conditions that fuel these kinds of weather events,” said Amanda Staudt, a climate scientist with the National Wildlife Federation.
The idea that certain places along the Mississippi River and its tributaries will only flood once every 500 years may be based on mistaken assumptions that flood patterns do not change over time, said Nicholas Pinter of Southern Illinois University.
If the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) certifies that a levee system is capable of withstanding a “100 year” flood than the residents living under that protection are not required to purchase flood insurance. Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is low, with many homeowner’s putting their faith in man made structures that are of uncertain quality.
Much of FEMA’s flood maps are severely outdated though and they are currently scrambling to re-certify thousands of levee systems across the country. The billion dollar effort will take a few more years to complete so until then residents are able to use the old maps in determining the insurance requirement.
Still just because you are not required to purchase insurance doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it. Hundreds if not thousands of families lost pretty much everything they took a lifetime to build up from the recent floods.
While many homeowner’s cite cost as the main reason of not purchasing flood coverage, the main reason to buy insurance in the first place is to hedge against risk. With the possibility that we may see flooding of this kind more frequently in the future, is it really smart betting against Mother Nature?
To learn more about how to purchase flood insurance, you can visit the website http://www.floodsmart.gov.
