Climate Change Will Increase South Shore Flooding: Report

Thousands of Nassau County homes are at risk for increased flooding due to climate change, according to data released by Climate Central and Zillow, which could cause billions of dollars of damage over the coming decades.

The new report paints a grim picture of the future of the South Shore: there's a good chance that, by 2050, homeowners on the water will have a flood of six feet or more damage their property.

According to Climate Central, nearly 128,000 people in Nassau live in areas that would be flooded by six-foot-high waters, which is about 24 square miles. That area includes more than 47,000 homes, 28 places of worship, 24 schools and four hospitals. Those properties are worth $28.1 billion, the report says.

In addition to buildings, the area also contains two power plants, 280 hazardous waste sites, 33 wastewater sites and nearly 500 miles of roads.

The "100-Year Flood" height for the area is six feet, the report said. But because of climate change, Nassau is likely to get hit with a flood like that well before 100 years are up. There's a 22 to 36 percent chance that it will happen by 2030, and a 50 to 87 percent chance of it happening by 2050, depending on sea level rise. But no matter what happens, by the end of the century, that type of flood is nearly guaranteed to happen.

Hurricane Sandy brought the worst floods Nassau has seen, with an average flood depth of nine feet. The report says there's a 99 percent chance that type of flood will happen again before the end of the century.

With a six-foot-high flood, most properties along the South Shore will be damaged. With a nine-foot flood, most everything south of Sunrise Highway will be under water, including JFK Airport.

You can see how rising seas and flooding will affect you with this map.

Photos courtesy Climate Central