Flood Risk

FLOODING IS THE NO. 1 NATURAL DISASTER IN THE UNITED STATES.

Flood effects on the population

Floods are the most common natural hazards in the United States. Some regions have already experienced costly impacts—in terms of both lives lost and economic damages—from observed changes in the frequency, intensity, or duration of certain extreme events.

Floods can occur at any time of the year, in any part of the country, and at any time of the day or night. While heavy precipitation is the common cause of flooding, hurricanes, winter storms, and snowmelt are common, but often overlooked, causing flooding.

Despite the risks and devastating consequences that floods can leave, most Americans vastly underestimate their exposure to flood damage. The majority of the population is not prepared to face an unexpected event and evacuate in time to safeguard their lives.

Communities, businesses, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of flooding and be prepared with the necessary equipment. That’s where ARK comes in.

The life raft is designed to be mounted on any vertical structure in flood-prone areas in case of a flood event where they need to evacuate by water. In case of an emergency, people just need to push a button that will cause the life raft to inflate out of the container. Once the unit is ready, people can board it and either stay tethered to the building or float to further down the river. The ULSA is equipped with the best survival accessories.

Key Statistics About Flooding in the U.S.

  • According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global sea level has been rising over the past century due to the ocean's warming and the increased melting of land based ice. The rising sea level could threaten millions of people and homes through coastal floods. Furthermore, changing rain and snowfall patterns could alter inland flooding risk in many states.
  • Floods are the most widespread natural disaster aside from wildfires. 90% of all U.S. natural disasters involve some flooding.
  • No region is safe from flooding. All 50 states are subject to flash floods.
  • The states most at risk for flooding over the next 100 years are Florida, Louisiana, California, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Georgia.
  • Over the last 50 years, Americans have seen a 20% increase in the heaviest downpours. With a changing climate, the nation’s floodplains' size will grow by 40 to 45% over the next 90 years, putting more people in harm’s way.
  • In the first decade of the new millennium, extreme rainfall events combined with land-use changes have resulted in an increase in floods and an increase in annual average flood losses from $6 billion to $10 billion despite the billions of dollars invested in flood control.
  • A new study by First Street Foundation (which considers sea-level rise, rainfall, and flooding along smaller creeks not mapped federally in the statistic), estimates that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps. A 100-year flood is one with a 1 percent chance of striking in any given year.