Insured losses from floods doubled to $83 million during 2011-2020 as compared to the previous decade and global flood losses reached $20 billion in 2021 alone, according to Swiss Re. (Photo: bilanol/Adobe Stock)
Billions of people worldwide face flood risk, and this number is steadily increasing with the effects of climate change. Consider that more than a third of Pakistan was underwater this summer as a result of intense rainfall. Although that extent of flooding has not yet been experienced in the United States, it certainly indicates a concerning trend. With global warming resulting in severe drought in some places and heavy rainstorms in others, U.S. infrastructure is having to withstand higher volumes of water in a shorter period of time. Drought can also accentuate the effects of flooding through reducing the permeability of ground, causing water to remain on the surface. With flood defenses overwhelmed, many U.S. states are seeing a rise in flooding.
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