Some 1.87 million homes with a combined valued of $882 billion are at risk of permanent flooding, real estate data company Zillow says in a recent analysis. Half of those vulnerable homes are in Florida.
Zillow looked at the impact of six feet of sea level rise on coastal homes across the country. In the three states of the New York metropolitan region, Zillow found that more than 300,000 homes are at risk of being permanently flooded by sea water, including 190,000 in New Jersey alone, for a combined value of over $177 billion. These New Jersey homes make up 7% of the state’s total housing stock, leaving it with more homes at risk that Louisiana.
RPA’s own analysis finds that more than 160,000 residents in the region are at risk of permanent flooding from three feet of sea level rise and over 700,000 residents are at risk from six feet, not to mention major pieces of infrastructure such as rail yards and airports.
RPA’s forthcoming regional plan, A Region Transformed, will tackle the threats of sea level rise head on, with far-reaching recommendations that combine strategic protection with long-term plans for moving away from our most at risk shorelines.