PROVIDENCE – A major flood could render inoperable nearly one-third of Rhode Island’s hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, ports and other critical infrastructure, simultaneously making 20% of its roads impassable, according to a new report by First Street Foundation.
The nonprofit research group on Monday published its third annual flood risk assessment, analyzing flood risk across the country, including at the state, county and city level. Unlike its prior reports, which focused on flood risk to residential and commercial properties, the latest research also highlights the damage to roads and public infrastructure if a major flood, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was to occur today or over the next 30 years.
As demonstrated by recent storms such as Hurricane Ida, much of the critical infrastructure and roads needed to respond to these kinds of emergency disasters are outdated and not built to withstand the increasing severity and frequency of flooding. And the situation is expected to only grow more dire.
Nationwide, the 25% of critical infrastructure at risk today of becoming inoperable due to flood damage will increase by 6%, or 2,000 facilities, over the next 30 years, the report said. Another 2.2 million miles of road will also face “operational risk” in the 30 years to come, totaling 26% of the country’s roads by 2050.
At a regional and state level, coastal flood plains along the Gulf and Southeastern coast face the biggest threats, as well as Appalachian areas in West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the report.
Rhode Island is by no means immune, however. Today, 120 (29.2%) of infrastructure facilities, 250 (17.4%) school and government buildings and 618 miles (19.1%) of roads could fail to function if the state were hit with a major flood.
The report also included the number and percentage of residential and commercial properties at risk for major flood damage using the group’s flood risk assessment tool. Unlike flood determinations under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, which in the past has only recognized major flood plains and properties near significant bodies of water based on historical flooding, First Street’s modeling takes into account the impact of direct rainfall from extreme rain storms, proximity to smaller rivers and tributaries, and projections for future risk based on climate change.
In Rhode Island, 22,253 residential properties – about 8.7% – are at risk of major flood damage today, while 2,876 commercial properties, or 21.1%, face similar risks. While some of these properties are protected under governmental or private insurance or other mitigation efforts, a majority have little or no protection.
At a county level, Providence County faces the greatest risk for flood damage to commercial properties, roads and government and school buildings, the report stated. The problem is already on the minds of some downtown property owners, who in 2019 formed a group known as the Providence Resilience Partnership aimed at increasing outreach and gathering more accurate data about the current and future risk of flooding across the capital city.
While FEMA is in the midst of rolling out a new version of its flood insurance program aimed at more accurately assessing, and calculating insurance premiums, for policyholders, neither FEMA nor any other group has taken a detailed look into the impact of flooding on infrastructure, First Street stated.
“Only with a complete assessment of flood risk to infrastructure – especially critical infrastructure essential to human health and economy activity – and targeted investments and improvements can the U.S. hope to avoid significant economic loss,” the report stated.
“This report highlights the cities and counties whose vital infrastructure are most at risk today, and will help inform where investment dollars should flow in order to best mitigate against that risk,” Matthew Eby, founder and executive director of First Street Foundation, said in a statement.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
