MUNICH: The Gulf Coast of the United States faces growing hurricane vulnerability two decades after Katrina’s devastation according to a new scientific review.
Meteorologist Marc Bove from German reinsurer Munich Re documented increasing landfall risks for major hurricanes in the region.
His analysis indicates that post-Katrina flood defense systems will gradually lose effectiveness over time.
Hurricane Katrina initially struck Florida before intensifying over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters in August 2005.
The catastrophic storm caused approximately 1,400 fatalities and $205 billion in inflation-adjusted damages.
Bove stated “The hurricane hazard is rising, and not only in the Gulf region.”
He explained “Katrina intensified rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico – and we see that much more often today than in 2005, probably because of the higher temperatures in the sea.”
A repeat Katrina event today would prove even more costly beyond simple inflation adjustments.
Rising sea levels combined with subsiding land elevations will progressively undermine New Orleans’ flood protection upgrades. – Reuters
