Devastating Flood Threats To Increase In PA, Study Says

PENNSYLVANIA —Nearly 600,000 properties across the state have a 26 percent chance of being severely impacted by flooding over the next 30 years, according to a non-profit organization's new study on nationwide flooding potential. That number represents 10 percent of all properties in Pennsylvania.

The First Street Foundation report calculates the risk of flooding on residential properties, commercial properties, roads, critical infrastructure such as utilities and emergency services and social infrastructure such as schools and government. Those findings have been aggregated for every state, county, city and zip code in the country.

The New York based foundation, a research and technology group working to define America’s growing climate risk, released the report, "3rd National Risk Assessment: Infrastructure on the Brink," on Monday.

The study comes as parts of Pennsylvania continue to recover from the destruction caused last month from the flooding and tornadoes triggered by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Several counties in the southeastern portion of the state have received federal financial assistance to help them repair more than $41 million in damage to roads, bridges, facilities and more.

“As we saw following the devastation of Hurricane Ida, our nation’s infrastructure is not built to a standard that protects against the level of flood risk we face today, let alone how those risks will grow over the next 30 years as the climate changes,” said First Street Foundation executive director Matthew Eby.

“This report highlights the cities and counties whose vital infrastructure are most at risk today, and will help inform where investment dollars should flow in order to best mitigate against that
risk.”

In Pennsylvania, there are 404,280 residential properties, 61,418 miles of roads, 53,402 commercial properties, 2,207 infrastructure facilities, and 2,431 social facilities with operational flood risk today. Operational flood risk is defined as the chances of facilities being flooded to the point where they can no longer function as intended or become unsafe.

As the severity and frequency of flood events in Pennsylvania increase over the next 30 years with an anticipated changing environment, the study predicts an additional 18,006 residential properties, 1,135 miles of roads, 1,570 commercial properties, 62 infrastructure facilities, and 82 social facilities will be at risk of becoming inoperable.

Counties with the expected greatest increase of operational risk between now and 2051, according to the study:

1. Philadelphia.

2. Delaware.

3. Juniata.

4. Lawrence.

5. Venango.

6. Mifflin.

7. Union.

8. Northumberland.

9. Dauphin.

10. Lebanon.

See the entire report here.

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