Aug 12, 2026

Coastal Flood Resilience News

Twice a month, CFRP recaps the latest science, federal policy, and state and local news related to coastal flood resilience and sea level rise. Prior issues can be viewed on our website.

Science

National Academies Release Report Citing Improvements in Attribution of Extreme Weather Events to Climate Change

This new report from the National Academies reports that advances in physical understanding and improved models have “strengthened the foundation for extreme event attribution (EEA).”

The New York Times provides more background and points out the importance of attribution science in supporting legal cases brought by state and local governments against oil companies seeking damages related to climate change.

Arctic Sea Ice Returns to Past Low Extent

The last several years have seen sea ice formation in the Arctic return to earlier levels, but this new study in the PNAS Journal indicates that the ice formation is again forming to a lower extent than in the past.

Recent analyses have suggested that the decadal rate of Arctic winter sea-ice extent decline weakened in the early 2020s, with 20-y trends becoming statistically insignificant. Here we show from more up-to-date observations that the exceptionally low 2025 and 2026 ice extent winters reversed this picture, with sea-ice extent during the growth and peak phases returning to record lows and 20-y decline trends becoming significant again.

New York City Tops Hurricane Risk List

A new report from climate risk firm Cotality makes the case that New York City metropolitan area faces the greatest losses as a result of future hurricanes:

While the Northeast might experience fewer hurricanes than the Sun Belt, its immense population density and premium coastal real estate translate to massive potential losses. Just look at the exposure:

- Storm Surge: 631,619 homes at risk, representing $329 billion in reconstruction cost value

- Hurricane Wind: 3.27 million homes exposed, accounting for a staggering $1.93 trillion in reconstruction cost value

Another report from the same firm includes data on state-by-state losses, rather than metro areas, showing that storm surges losses are expected to be highest in Florida (i.e., over 2,471,000 homes with a value of $747B) followed by Louisiana, Texas, New York, and South Carolina.

Eco-Anxiety a Growing Concern

The Tampa Bay National Estuary Program found that some 17 percent of the population suffered “eco-anxiety” and many of these people had fewer resources to cope with changing environmental conditions.

An article from the Tampa Bay Times provides more information, including this quote from the study author: “This a relatively common occurrence, and so we should take it seriously,” Simmons said. “It means that now more than ever, we really need a clear pathway to solutions, not just to solve environmental problems — but to improve the mental health of the population."

Federal Policy

Senator Whitehouse Senate Flood Speech Notes Florida Insurance Markert Stress Due to Hurricanes

Senator Whitehouse recently made a speech describing how Florida home insurance programs have the highest non-renewal rate and highest premiums, as well as increases of up to 300 percent over the next 30 years. He also pointed to the risks create by unrealistic home assessments by home rating agencies, including Demotech.

Climate Change Drives Down Home Values

A new report from First Street, a property risk assessment firm, reports an expected reduction in home values of about $147 trillion over the next thirty years due to climate change.

…climate change is disrupting established patterns of migration. Regional desirability is being reshaped by chronic changes in climate across the country: coastal areas are increasingly threatened by sea level rise, while inland regions face intensifying heat waves, droughts, and floods.

A key finding of the report concerns coastal metro areas: "The five largest metro areas facing the highest insurance premium increases are Miami (322%), Jacksonville (226%), Tampa (213%), New Orleans (196%), and Sacramento (137%)."

SAFE Rural Act for Storm Resilience

This article in the Carolina Journal describes new legislation introduced by Rep. Harrigan, the SAFE Rural Act for Storm Resilience, that would use a 2 percent set-aside from the Disaster Relief Fund to:

…create within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a fund dedicated to flood resilience, using a formula to ensure funding for smaller communities rather than requiring them to compete with larger communities for federal funding. This streamlines the grant process for critical infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, culverts, and drainage systems. 

Read the press release and the bill text.

President Trump Overrules FEMA Officials on Approval of Disaster Aid to Democratic States

Politico reports on the continuing politicization of approval of state requests for disaster assistance:

Emails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages of documents submitted to FEMA by three states — New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island — provide new details about Trump’s low rate of approving disaster aid for his political adversaries. He also denied a request by New York after administration officials verified that it had met federal standards for approval, according to state officials.

Trump’s rejections came after regional offices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and NOAA determined that the states met government thresholds for receiving aid following a record-breaking snowstorm in February.

EPA Reverses Course on Alabama Toxic Coal Ash Disposal

This article in Inside Climate News describes how the EPA has proposed to abandon a Biden Administration plan for managing coal ash in storage sites along Alabama rivers in favor of a less stringent state plan.

Coal ash is stored at some six major sites along Alabama rivers and releases from any of these sites could reach coastal waters. The article points to special concerns for the storage site closest to the coast:

The environmental group Mobile Baykeeper is suing Alabama Power over the 600-acre coal ash pond at the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant in Bucks, Ala., where 21.7 million tons of coal ash is stored near the headwaters of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. 

More information about coal ash and other coastal pollution sources is available in this CFRP White Paper.

New Guide for Resilience Project Financing

The Resilience Finance Guidebook for Local Governments, developed by ICLEI USA and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University takes on the question: “If the need for resilience is so clear, why is it still so hard to finance?” Author Victoria Salinas comments:

But too often, resilience goals never turn into completed projects. Not because the need is unclear. Because the path from plan to project to capital strategy is still too hard to navigate.

The guide is not another inventory of funding programs. Rather, it tackles the harder middle step: turning resilience plans into projects that can be structured, funded, financed, approved, or reworked before they stall.

Also, consider registering for the related Resilience Finance Webinar on August 25.

Educating Realtors About Coastal Risk

This article by the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association describes different efforts in four states (Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and South Carolina) to educate realtors about coastal risks.

While real estate professionals cannot be expected to double as engineers or scientists, understanding concepts like living shorelines helps them spot potential opportunities and challenges, and point clients toward the right resources when questions go beyond their expertise. The result? A more informed real estate industry—valued at roughly $179 billion in 2025—better equipped to help buyers and sellers navigate the realities of living along America’s coasts.

State and Local

New Jersey Meadowlands Reimagined

A new report from the Regional Plan Association of New York looks at the future of the low-lying coastal wetlands area west of New York City and imagines a multipurpose future including sports stadiums, wetland areas, and other recreational opportunities. With respect to sea level rise, the report notes:

Looking to the future, intensified storms and rising sea levels present an escalating threat that will lead to the permanent inundation of various areas in the region. Rutgers estimates that New Jersey will likely see 1.3’ of sea level rise by 2050 and up to 4.3’ by 2100 under high-emissions scenarios.  Furthermore, a growing body of research indicates that the pace of climate change might be accelerating.  Although future projections vary across scenarios, the need to plan for a more resilient Meadowlands is increasingly clear.

California Updates Sea Level Rise Grant Support

The State of California has updated its website supporting grants for sea level rise planning, implementation, and technical assistance totaling over $18 million. The new site includes background materials on how to apply and key considerations for planning and implementation grants.

The Sea Level Rise Planning Criteria outlines some key steps in the planning process and is worth a look.

El Niño’s Impact on California’s Coast

The ongoing “Super El Niño” climate pattern is expected to cause severe coastal flooding, beach erosion, and sea level rise over the coming months in California, ABC News reports. The worst impacts are expected from December to March. A virtual town hall was held by State Sen. Mike McGuire, with nearly 6,000 people tuning in across the state.

Cincinnati Prepares for Climate Migrants

The City of Cincinnati is preparing to be a welcoming place to people displaced by rising sea levels, drought, and wildfire. The New York Times describes the city’s Climate Migration Readiness Plan, which:

…lays out a blueprint for the metropolitan region to absorb as many as 525,000 newcomers by 2050. (That figure includes possible climate migrants and also accounts for “broader domestic relocation trends.”) It calls for building much denser housing, expanding public transit and decreasing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels. It also involves systematic monitoring of metrics that could presage population shifts, like distress in the housing insurance market.

Maine Plans to Upgrade Seawall at Camp Ellis

After decades of community organizing and political pressure from Maine's congressional delegation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Saco have reached a solution: $45 million in funding to build a new granite spur jetty, and added sand to rebuild the disappearing beach. Maine Public Radio reports that not everyone sees this as a good solution:

Will Kochtitzsky of the University of New England, who has been studying the erosion in Camp Ellis, said while it might buy a little more time, it's only a temporary fix. “The hope is that by putting in this jetty, you're going to reduce the wave energy, you're going to be able to keep sand in that place, and maybe a beach will rebuild, and then these people would have land again,” he said. “Of course, that's not going to happen, because there's no sediment supply."

South Carolina Community Tackles Failing Coastal Septic Systems

The Charleston Post and Courier has an article on how the Town of Mt. Pleasant and the Charleston Waterkeeper are supporting residents relying on septic systems with a new maintenance program while working toward a longer-term goal of expanding sewer service.

…the utility’s long-term goal is to move those septic-dependent residents onto the municipal sewage system. Septic failures are likely to increase in frequency and range in the coming decades as rising sea levels across the coast push up groundwater levels, rendering many coastal septic systems useless.

“A majority of people are like, ‘Please get me sewer. This septic that used to work 10, 20 years ago is no longer working,’" Deepe said. “We're tying that to our climate change, the rising tides, the water table increasing.