With sea levels on the rise and storm surges more frequent and violent, several U.S. cities are considering a medieval solution to the problem in their quest to protect real estate properties and infrastructure: seawalls.
Currently, Charleston, S.C.; the Houston/Galveston metro area; Miami; and New York City are mulling their options. Many other U.S. cities might follow, considering that a 2017 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which assessed chronic flooding risks in 52 large coastal cities, and forecast by 2030, the 30 cities most at risk can expect at least two-dozen tidal floods yearly on average. The study defined tidal flooding as seawater encroaching into at least 10 percent of a city. Cumulatively, the at-risk cities are home to about 6 million people, and the study projected that by 2045, most of them will experience more than 100 days of flooding annually.
This flooding won’t only become more frequent, it also will become deeper, extend farther in