According to statistics released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, high-tide flooding (HTF) broke or equaled records in three sites along the US coast in the last year (NOAA).
As per NOAA, HTF has been more common across the country but will likely decrease this year. The decline was ascribed by the government to the La Nia weather phenomena.
US Floods Reach Record-High
Increases in HTF are expected to be concentrated in the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, where NOAA predicts a 150 percent rise from 2000.
Three distinct NOAA-monitored areas have equaled or broken previous records for the amount of HTF days since May of this year. Reedy Point, Del., set a new high with six occurrences, while Kwajalein Island in the Pacific shattered its 2021 mark with four days of HTF. Meanwhile, Springmaid Pier in South Carolina had 11 HTF occurrences, tying its 2021 high.
HTF happens when ocean water floods into low-lying regions during high-tide periods, generally after tides that are 1.75 to 2 feet higher than the daily average. These phenomena were formerly restricted to storms, but they have recently grown more prevalent during prevailing-wind shifts or even full moons, according to The Hill.
As reported by authorities, the death toll from the deadly floods in eastern Kentucky continues to grow as additional rain falls on the region. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday evening that 37 individuals had been confirmed deceased.
According to family relatives, four siblings, ages 8, 6, 4, and 2, were among those killed as they were carried away in the sea. As reported by Beshear, "There are hundreds of unaccounted for persons, at the very least."
More rain poured on Monday as search and rescue workers continued to seek the missing, and another bout of heavy rain is forecast for early Tuesday.
For eastern Kentucky, a new flash flood warning has been issued for Monday evening through Tuesday morning. Rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are possible. In Louisville and Lexington, severe storms with destructive winds are also probable.
As per ABC News, the additional precipitation might cause water levels to rise again in the same area that saw disastrous flooding last Wednesday, which began with heavy rainfall.
Beshear claimed, widespread destruction that displaced thousands of people, as well as power outages, washed-out roads, wrecked homes, and flooded schools. Since the floods began, more than 600 people have been rescued by plane and boat.
Meanwhile, New York may see up to 15 days of high-tide flooding in the next year, highlighting the city's need to prepare for a growing threat of possibly fatal inundations caused by rising sea levels.
VP Kamala Harris Announces Fund To Help Affected Areas
Floods caused by storm surges are now more likely to occur under a full moon or when currents or prevailing winds change, according to officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who released their prediction on Tuesday, the city saw 13 flood days last year.
Hurricane Ida's leftovers dumped more than 3 inches of rain in New York in one hour in September, flooding subway stations, burying underground apartments, and killing more than a dozen people, Bloomberg via MSN reported.
Vice President Kamala Harris declared climate change an immediate and urgent threat on Monday, outlining more than $1 billion in federal disaster relief funds.
Harris said during a tour of the National Hurricane Center before the grant announcement that disasters like the Kentucky floods and California wildfires demonstrate how immediate, how current, and how essential it is to confront extreme weather in the United States and throughout the world.
Harris' billion-dollar grant program more than doubles funding on projects to protect against extreme weather events around the country from last year. Last month, Biden stated that the government will spend $2.3 billion to help localities adapt to rising temperatures through programs operated by FEMA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other agencies in the fiscal year that begins in October, as per Fox News.
Related Article : Kentucky Flooding Deaths Now at 35, But More Victims Expected as 'Hundreds' Remain Missing
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