Climate Change Damaging U.S. Naval Academy In Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- According to a government report, many military bases aren't doing enough to protect themselves from climate change, including the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. More than $9 billion in hurricane and flood-related damage has occurred at three bases in less than one year.

The Government Accountability Office studied a sample of 23 installations when producing the report and found that most hadn't used projections of climate change effects such as sea level rise in their base master plans. Retired Marine Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, chief executive of the American Security Project, said anywhere there's a coastline there will be erosion and that should have been taken into account.

WUNC noted that the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis has experienced some of the nation's worst increase in sea level-related flooding, especially from Hurricane Isabel that flooded structures on campus and caused more than $100 million in damage. In fact, there are two sinkholes in the pavement behind a seawall along Farragut Field, WUNC reported.

Portions of Annapolis floods at least 40 times each year, causing a variety of damage. In response to Hurricane Isabel and annual flooding, the naval academy created a sea level rise committee that created a higher seawall and a new building that is set high enough that it shouldn't flood and serves as a flood control wall, WUNC shared.