Hurricanes like Francine are more dangerous as the Gulf Coast sinks

Hurricane Francine slammed southern Louisiana with 100 mph winds and an intense storm surge, made worse by climate change and subsidence along the Gulf Coast.

Matt Simon reports for Grist.

In short:

Hurricane Francine struck Louisiana as a Category 2 storm, pushing a massive storm surge inland.
Rising sea levels from climate change and subsidence make future hurricanes more dangerous.
Scientists found some areas of the Gulf Coast are sinking by more than half an inch annually, exacerbating storm surge risks.

Key quote:

“Once that land surface is lost...that actually loses some of the protective barriers, so the storm surge can move further inland.”

— Ann Jingyi Chen, geophysicist at the University of Texas at Austin

Why this matters:

As subsidence and rising sea levels worsen, Gulf Coast communities face higher risks of flooding and storm surges during hurricanes. Better planning and data collection are critical to mitigate future damage.

grist.org

Hurricanes like Francine are more dangerous as the Gulf Coast sinks

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