![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2019\/06\/Final-2019-Flood-Risk-Map-2019.png\")
<\/a>The deluge of floods is hardly a coincidence.<\/p>\n
Land-use changes and extreme weather driven by climate change are delivering a one-two punch that heightens flood risk. We\u2019ve increased impervious surfaces \u2013 think asphalt and concrete \u2013 and at the same time we\u2019ve removed wetlands, prairies and forests, which can absorb water and slow runoff. We\u2019ve also built hard infrastructure such as bridges, urban and agriculture drainage networks, and even, ironically, flood \u201cprotection\u201d projects that often alter watersheds, floodplains and stream hydrology and increase the severity of floods.<\/p>\n
So how do we better protect critical infrastructure and communities in the face of increased flooding?<\/p>\n
More nature-based solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n Restoring natural infrastructure is a winning strategy because it reduces both flood hazard and flood exposure. It\u2019s the missing component of the nation\u2019s current flood-risk management platform.<\/p>\n Natural infrastructure reduces flood hazards by enhancing water infiltration, storing water where it falls, recharging groundwater, slowing run off \u2013 reducing the amount of water reaching streams at the same time. In addition, restoring natural infrastructure\u2013like upland forests or coastal mangroves\u2013also increases storage of carbon, slowing the rate of climate change that exacerbates sea level rise and intensifies precipitation.\u00a0Restoring natural infrastructure is key to building the nation's resilience to increasingly extreme and frequent flooding <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Nature-based solutions such as river meanders, wetlands, reefs or dunes can dissipate storm surge and wave energy to reduce exposure to damaging floods. Along rivers, natural infrastructure can even be an alternative to riprap<\/a> or other traditional flood-control solutions to stabilize banks, reduce erosion and lessen flood risk.<\/p>\n Innovating beyond traditional means of flood protection <\/strong><\/p>\n In our increasingly flood-ravaged country, limiting flood damages has become more urgent. An estimated 41 million people<\/a> in the United States live in river or coastal floodplains. This risk will only increase: One study<\/a> estimates that by 2050 coastal locations will experience a 40% increase in the number of annual 100-year floods. Extreme weather has already exacted an enormous toll, with four of the five costliest hurricanes in U.S. history happening since 2012.<\/p>\n