Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment released a study on the economic impact of sea level rise and nuisance flooding on the City of Annapolis and local businesses. Details about the report are available here: https://woods.stanford.edu/news/rising-seas-can-hurt-local-economies
As the climate changes and sea levels rise, coastal communities are threatened not only by extreme weather events, but by increasingly frequent high-tide flooding. In the City of Annapolis, the historic district sees about 60 days of coastal flooding per year. The economists at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment wanted to measure the real cost to the City in lost revenue and to businesses.
“We know we’ve got recurrent coastal flooding issues here in the city of Annapolis, which impacts daily life, hinders the businesses that are the economic engine of our city and damages already stressed infrastructure. Anyone who lives or works here can see it,” Mayor Gavin Buckley said.
Listen to Mayor Buckley:
Some key points from the study:
- Recurrent high-tide flooding led to 3,000 fewer visits to downtown in 2017, corresponding to between $86,000 and $172,000 in lost revenue.
- Without adaptive measures, one foot of additional se level rise is projected to cause a 24 percent decrease in visitors to downtown Annapolis.
- Interviews with local businesses and government yielded diverse perspectives on flood frequency and effects
“Here in the city of Annapolis, we’re working towards solutions. We have a flood mitigation plan in our capital budget to move the water off of City Dock and surrounding streets in downtown. These efforts, slated to cost around $12 million, will be built out over five years once the federal grant monies come through,” Buckley said. “Annapolis is being proactive, but it takes time, planning and money to fight sea level rise like this.”
See additional resources from the study here:
