NPR: Is Your Home At Risk From Climate Change? Here’s How To Know.
When you decide where to live, there are a lot of factors that you probably consider. The risk of a flood or wildfire should be one of them.
More than 10 million apartments and houses have a substantial risk of flooding in the next 30 years — from sea level rise and storm surge along the coasts, and heavy rain and river flooding inland. More than 40 million Americans live in high-risk fire zones, including suburbs that are far away from forests or grasslands.
And yet, in most parts of the country, it is easy to move into a flood or fire-prone building and not even know you’re in harm’s way. Landlords and sellers often aren’t required to disclose information about past disasters or future risk, even if the building has burned or flooded in the past. The information that tenants and buyers do receive often comes too late, or can be confusing or misleading.