Southeast

Stressors and impacts

Residents of coastal Mississippi are no strangers to coastal flooding. In addition to flooding that occurs when hurricanes or tropical storms make landfall in the region, flooding can occur from inland events or seemingly minor storms, because the nearly flat coastal topography doesn't move water off the land very quickly. Though rising sea level also threatens this region, most residents don't have a good idea of how their community would fare with an additional foot or two of water.

Stressors and impacts

Stressors and impacts

Stressors and impacts

At Grand Isle, Louisiana, rising seas and sinking land add up to one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise in the world. As global sea level goes up and regional geologic processes cause the ground to go down, the Gulf of Mexico claims hundreds of acres of land per year. As a result, inland cities are increasingly vulnerable to flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes. Lying directly south of the densely populated city of New Orleans, Grand Isle represents Louisiana's first line of defense from coastal flooding.

Stressors and impacts

Residents of Charleston, South Carolina, are all too familiar with the periodic flooding that occurs during extreme high tides. During these events, salt water backs up through storm drains, resulting in hazardous road conditions. Traffic patterns are disrupted and motorists are forced to take alternate routes. Rain and onshore winds can push the tides even further inland. When extreme high tides occur, roads and businesses are sometimes forced to close and damage to buildings from repeated saltwater intrusion is a near certainty.

Stressors and impacts

Myron Johnson, owner of Double J Farms in Alabama, takes a gamble every time he puts a crop in the ground. Until a crop is grown, harvested, and transported to market, his investments in land, seeds, and machinery are at risk from an array of climate- and weather-related events. In the high-stakes agricultural industry, he feels any strategy that increases his odds to bring a crop to market is worth considering.

Stressors and impacts