Despite growing climate threats, over 300,000 Americans relocated to flood or fire-prone areas last year, driven by affordability and housing availability in states like Florida and Texas.
A Redfin report shows that U.S. counties most vulnerable to floods and fires saw a population increase from July 2022 to July 2023, though some fire-prone areas in California saw a net outflow.
Rising insurance costs due to increased climate-related disasters are making some areas unaffordable, prompting moves away from places like California's Ventura County.
Despite risks, affordability and low taxes in Texas and Florida continue to attract residents to these vulnerable areas.
Key quote:
"In this new world, this new regime that we live in, maybe people are changing their behavior a bit."
— Elijah de la Campa, Redfin senior economist
Why this matters:
As climate change exacerbates extreme weather, more Americans face increased risks and financial burdens by moving to vulnerable areas. Understanding these migration patterns helps address the need for improved infrastructure and resilience planning in at-risk communities.
The facilities are located in every state, and are threatened by floods, hurricanes and wildfires that can cause dangerous leaks and explosions, according to a federal watchdog.
West Virginia is deceptively vulnerable to climate change because a huge number of its residents live in flood zones, and global warming is intensifying the kind of rainstorms that have caused deadly river overflows across the state.
Dozens of interviews and a review of records show that virtually every aspect of the blaze had been forecast and worried over for years. Every level of government understood the dangers and took few, if any, of the steps needed to prevent catastrophe.
