The way the federal government analyzes intense rain events isn’t keeping up with the reality of climate change, and that has serious implications for infrastructure projects and the availability of, and rising cost of, flood insurance.
Severe rainstorms, sometimes described as “atmospheric rivers” or “torrential thunderstorms,” are making the concept of a “1-in-100-year flood event” obsolete, according to a report from First Street Foundation, an organization focused on weather risk research.
These events are occurring more frequently due to the impact of climate change, but federal rainfall analysis, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, isn’t keeping up with the new weather conditions, First Street says.
Half the people in the U.S. live in a county where a 1-in-100-year flood is at least twice as likely now as it had been in the past, coming once every 50 years instead of every 100 years. In some areas, a so-called “1-in-100-year” rainfall could now happen far more frequently—as often as every 5 to 10 years.
The outdated analysis has serious implications for the way infrastructure projects are initiated and designed. And, because FEMA’s federal flood insurance program greatly underrepresents the number of people that could fall into FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas, millions of Americans may be unaware of their current flood risk.
Inaccurate flood risk data due to underestimating the impact of rainfall also impacts the cost and availability of flood insurance—this is especially true for property that isn’t close to the ocean or inland bodies of water.
The government is working to remedy the situation, though. NOAA, as reported by CNN, says it is working on a revamped approach to its rainfall analysis that is expected to be completed in 2027.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 70 Science + Technology Facility Contractors + CM Firms 2022
Whiting-Turner, Hensel Phelps, DPR Construction, and Skanska USA top the rankings of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) facility contractors and construction management (CM) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Laboratory Facility Contractors and Construction Management Firms for 2022
Whiting-Turner, Hensel Phelps, McCarthy, and STO Building Group top the ranking of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) laboratory facility contractors and construction management (CM) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 University Contractors and Construction Management Firms for 2022
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner Contracting, PCL Construction Enterprises, and DPR Construction lead the ranking of the nation's largest university sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 200 Contractors for 2022
Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Whiting-Turner, and DPR Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Aug 22, 2022
Gainesville, Fla., lawmakers moved to end single-family zoning
The Gainesville City Commission recently voted to advance zoning changes that would allow duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes to be built on land currently zoned for single-family homes.
| Aug 22, 2022
For Gen Z, “enhanced communication” won’t cut it
As the fastest-growing generation, Generation Z, loosely defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, has become a hot topic in conversations surrounding workplace design.
| Aug 22, 2022
Less bad is no longer good enough
As we enter the next phase of our fight against climate change, I am cautiously optimistic about our sustainable future and the design industry’s ability to affect what the American Institute of Architects (AIA) calls the biggest challenge of our generation.
Giants 400 | Aug 21, 2022
Top 110 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2022
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
