Climate and population changes increase risk for coastal communities
Coastal population centers have always been more vulnerable to natural phenomena like storms and erosion. It’s the price we pay for the economic advantages of coastal ports and fancying living by the sea. Throughout history, storm surges have caused death and destruction in coastal towns and cities – from a 14th century storm surge that killed as many as 25,000 people in Nordfriesland, Germany to Burma’s tropical storm Nargis in 2008, which left some 140,000 dead. A storm surge happens when windstorms cause sea levels to rise, resulting in flooding like what took place in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in…
