Breaking News: Floods

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Released: 19-Aug-2021 3:00 PM EDT
VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE: Breakthrough Cases and COVID Boosters: Live Expert Panel for August 18, 2021
Newswise

Expert Q&A: Do breakthrough cases mean we will soon need COVID boosters? The extremely contagious Delta variant continues to spread, prompting mask mandates, proof of vaccination, and other measures. Media invited to ask the experts about these and related topics.

Released: 4-Aug-2021 12:40 PM EDT
Flood Risks Were Clearly Underestimated
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

To better estimate flood risks, risk maps should also consider historical data.

Released: 22-Jul-2021 2:10 PM EDT
DOE Announces $11 Million to Study Critical Ecosystems and Improve Climate and Earth System Modeling
Department of Energy, Office of Science

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $11 million in funding for new research studying how critical ecosystems, such as forests, arid lands, and coastal environments, are impacted by extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heat waves.

Released: 18-Jun-2021 4:55 PM EDT
Earlier flood forecasting could help avoid disaster in Japan
University of Tokyo

In Japan, thousands of homes and businesses and hundreds of lives have been lost to typhoons. But now, researchers have revealed that a new flood forecasting system could provide earlier flood warnings, giving people more time to prepare or evacuate, and potentially saving lives.

Released: 7-Jun-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Puerto Rico is Prone to More Flooding Than the Island is Prepared to Handle
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

Puerto Rico is not ready for another hurricane season, let alone the effects of climate change, according to a new study that shows the island’s outstanding capacity to produce record-breaking floods and trigger a large number of landslides.

Released: 3-Jun-2021 9:30 AM EDT
Safety experts offer tips to prepare for potentially dangerous hurricane season
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Summer is just around the corner, and so is hurricane season. Weather experts are warning Americans to prepare for an active and potentially dangerous Atlantic season – which gets its official start on June 1. With the potential for heavy rain and strong winds, the threat of power loss, and dealing with potentially dangerous cleanup in the aftermath of a storm, experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) say preparing in advance is the best way to weather anything hurricane season may bring.

   
12-Apr-2021 1:05 PM EDT
Coral Reefs Prevent More Than $5.3 Billion in Potential Flood Damage for U.S. Property Owners
University of California, Santa Cruz

Coral reefs provide many services to coastal communities, including critical protection from flood damage. A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the U.S. Geological Survey reveals how valuable coral reefs are in protecting people, structures, and economic activity in the United States from coastal flooding during storms.

Released: 8-Apr-2021 8:30 AM EDT
Study Scant Evidence That Wood Overuse at Cahokia Caused Local Flooding, Subsequent Collapse
Washington University in St. Louis

Whatever ultimately caused inhabitants to abandon Cahokia, it was not because they cut down too many trees, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

   
Released: 7-Apr-2021 2:00 PM EDT
Colorado River basin due for more frequent, intense hydroclimate events
Los Alamos National Laboratory

In the vast Colorado River basin, climate change is driving extreme, interconnected events among earth-system elements such as weather and water.

Released: 26-Mar-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Climate change significantly increases population displacement risk
ETH Zürich

Every year, millions of people around the world are displaced from their homes due to severe weather caused by climate change.

Released: 23-Mar-2021 9:00 AM EDT
Sea-Level Rise in 20th Century was Fastest in 2,000 years Along Much of East Coast
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

The rate of sea-level rise in the 20th century along much of the U.S. Atlantic coast was the fastest in 2,000 years, and southern New Jersey had the fastest rates, according to a Rutgers-led study.

Released: 23-Mar-2021 8:05 AM EDT
Why our rivers are running drier
University of Adelaide

An international team of researchers including the University of Adelaide has demonstrated that climate change is responsible for the changes in the flow and water volume of rivers globally, with major implications for Australia.

Released: 16-Mar-2021 10:40 AM EDT
“Ghost Forests” Expanding Along Northeast U.S. Coast
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Why are “ghost forests” filled with dead trees expanding along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast? Higher groundwater levels linked to sea-level rise and increased flooding from storm surges and very high tides are likely the most important factors, according to a Rutgers study on the impacts of climate change that suggests how to enhance land-use planning.

Released: 12-Mar-2021 11:25 AM EST
Sea-level rise drives wastewater leakage to coastal waters
University of Hawaii at Manoa

When people think of sea level rise, they usually think of coastal erosion. However, recent computer modeling studies indicate that coastal wastewater infrastructure, which includes sewer lines and cesspools, is likely to flood with groundwater as sea-level rises.

24-Feb-2021 8:05 PM EST
How Could Rising Sea Level Impact the National Flood Insurance Program?
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

Insurance policy premiums from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allow policyholders to maintain a lower, grandfathered rate even when the risk escalates. But as coastal flooding increases due to rising sea level and more intense storms, new research published in the journal Risk Analysis suggests this grandfathered policy could lead to big losses for the NFIP. A team of experts led by Carolyn Kousky, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, studied the effect of sea level rise on a New York City neighborhood to illustrate how grandfathered rates could impact both policyholder premiums and program revenue for the NFIP over the next 30 years. Their results project losses to the NFIP as flood risk grows in the coming decades.

Released: 19-Jan-2021 9:20 AM EST
Story tips: Volcanic microbes, unbreakable bonds and flood mapping
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL story tips: Volcanic microbes, unbreakable bonds and flood mapping

Released: 4-Jan-2021 2:45 PM EST
Fires, flooding before settlement may have formed the Amazon's rare patches of fertility
University of Oregon

Phosphorous, calcium and charcoal in spotty patches of fertile soil in the Amazon rainforest suggest that natural processes such as fires and river flooding, not the ingenuity of indigenous populations, created rare sites suitable for agriculture, according to new research.

Released: 15-Dec-2020 11:05 AM EST
Climate Change Threatens U.S. Coastal Cities’ Most Affordable Housing With Flooding
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Research co-authored by University of California scientists has found that by 2050, as many as 24,500 affordable housing units in the United States are projected to be exposed to coastal flooding.

   
Released: 3-Dec-2020 1:25 PM EST
Once in a lifetime floods to become regular occurrences by end of century
Stevens Institute of Technology

Superstorm Sandy brought flood-levels to the New York region that had not been seen in generations.

Released: 25-Sep-2020 11:05 AM EDT
Study delivers new knowledge about what causes thunderstorms and cloud bursts
University of Copenhagen

Thunderstorms are weather disturbances characterized by concentrations of thunder, lightning and fierce winds.

Released: 17-Sep-2020 3:00 PM EDT
New Guidebooks Help Urban Communities Install Low-Cost Sensors to Reduce Flood Risks
Homeland Security's Science And Technology Directorate

DHS S&T released “Low Cost Flood Sensors: Urban Installation Guidebook” to do just that—help communities deploy and operate low cost sensors for flood monitoring and management.

Released: 28-Aug-2020 2:25 PM EDT
DHS Funds Research to Model Compound Flood Events
Homeland Security's Science And Technology Directorate

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has awarded $950,000 to develop a community-oriented, flood hazard modeling process.

Released: 18-Aug-2020 12:20 PM EDT
The tropics are expanding, and climate change is the primary culprit
American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Earth's tropics are expanding poleward and that expansion is driven by human-caused changes to the ocean, according to new research.

Released: 11-Aug-2020 1:10 PM EDT
Demographics data helps predict NY flood insurance claims
Cornell University

In flood-prone areas of the Hudson River valley in New York state, census areas with more white and affluent home owners tend to file a higher percentage of flood insurance claims than lower-income, minority residents, according to a new study.

Released: 5-Aug-2020 11:30 AM EDT
Application of machine learning can optimize hurricane track forecast
Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences

When a hurricane approaches, providing a few extra hours’ notice can be the difference between life and death. Now, Penn State researchers report that applying a machine learning technique to a group of possible storm paths could help meteorologists provide more accurate medium-term forecasts and issue timely warnings to communities in the path of these potentially deadly storms.

Released: 30-Jul-2020 12:40 PM EDT
Climate change-influenced refugee crisis may lead to long-term settlement issues
Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences

While many models suggest that climate change will prompt a substantial number of people to leave their homes, not all research so clearly finds this is the case. Investigating cases where computer models seemed to indicate only limited impacts of climate change on people leaving rural areas, a team of researchers now suggest that the models may reveal a more nuanced circular migration pattern in areas stricken by climate change impacts.

Released: 28-Jul-2020 8:30 AM EDT
Sea Level Rise Report: Impacts to Property and Regional Planning Solutions
Florida Atlantic University

A new study reveals that urgent action is needed to protect billions of dollars in real estate investment across South Florida due to impacts of sea level rise over the next several decades. The report casts light on the issues and clarifies the alternatives available to South Florida, which embraces the four counties of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Together, these counties generate more than $337 billion in personal income annually with a combined real property value assessed at more than $833 billion.

Released: 16-Jul-2020 8:30 AM EDT
Novel Measurement and Forecasting Systems Make ‘Weathering the Storm’ More Precise
Florida Atlantic University

In the last several decades, more than half of the deaths associated with tropical cyclones in the U.S. were due to inland flooding. Unfortunately, current forecasting capabilities are limited. Researchers are developing a warning system for more accurate and timely detection and forecasting of inland and coastal floods, under a variety of precipitation regimes. The technology will enable local and state governments to more effectively plan and respond to tropical storms.

Released: 19-Jun-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Finding renewal in the aftermath of floods
West Virginia University - Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Four years after the disastrous flooding in southern West Virginia, new research highlights the role faith-based groups and other community organizations have played in the relief and recovery efforts.

Released: 18-Jun-2020 1:15 PM EDT
Tulane study calls for alternatives to Bonnet Carré Spillway to improve river management
Tulane University

The study underscores the urgency of identifying alternatives to improve river management and confront the new normal of more frequent river floods.

Released: 2-Jun-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Homeowner Handbooks Help Prepare for Natural Disasters
Gulf of Mexico Alliance

The Homeowners Handbook to Prepare for Natural Disasters is a critical resource for anyone wanting to reduce the risks to their family and property from natural hazards. The handbook covers essential information on emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, flood/wind insurance, and steps to protect life and property.

28-May-2020 11:35 AM EDT
Lessening water quality problems caused by hurricane-related flooding
American Chemical Society (ACS)

June 1 is the start of hurricane season in the Atlantic, with flooding often the most damaging effect of tropical storms. Now, in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, researchers study water quality impacts of two recent hurricanes in North Carolina and suggest interventions to protect susceptible areas.

Released: 27-Apr-2020 5:25 PM EDT
Poor Amazonians go hungry despite living in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth
Lancaster University

Poorer rural Amazonians are going hungry despite living in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet - a new study reveals.

Released: 16-Apr-2020 12:00 PM EDT
Climate change: Extreme coastal flooding events in the US expected to rise
Scientific Reports

Extreme flooding events in some US coastal areas could double every five years if sea levels continue to rise as expected, a study published in Scientific Reports suggests. Today's 'once-in-a-lifetime' extreme water levels -- which are currently reached once every 50 years -- may be exceeded daily along most of the US coastline before the end of the 21st century.

Released: 5-Mar-2020 10:00 AM EST
More Pavement, More Problems
 Johns Hopkins University

Think your daily coffee, boutique gym membership and airport lounge access cost a lot? There may be an additional, hidden cost to those luxuries of urban living, says a new Johns Hopkins University study: more flooding. For every percentage point increase in roads, parking lots and other impervious surfaces that prevent water from flowing into the ground, annual floods increase on average by 3.3%, the researchers found.



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