{"id":24086,"date":"2024-06-13T00:03:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T04:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=24086"},"modified":"2024-06-13T03:20:50","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T07:20:50","slug":"ocean-county-ranks-third-in-u-s-for-economic-flood-risk-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2024\/06\/ocean-county-ranks-third-in-u-s-for-economic-flood-risk-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean County Ranks Third in U.S. for Economic Flood Risk: Study"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flooding<\/a>

Flooding in the Normandy Beach neighborhood, Jan. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

Four out of the five most flood-prone counties in the United States are located in New Jersey \u2013 including Ocean County \u2013 a study by LawnStarter, an industry publication that studies landscaping and outdoor architecture.<\/p>\n

Ocean County ranked third in the nation for economic flood risk according to the authors\u2019 data, following Harris County, Tx. and Bergen County, N.J. The remaining two of the top five counties for flood risk were also location at the Jersey Shore \u2013 Atlantic County and Cape May County, respectively. Monmouth County ranked 20th on the same list.<\/p>\n

While many counties on the list (the full list is published below) saw their primary drivers of flooding to be riverine in nature, most were coastal counties in New Jersey and Florida, representing not only the flood risk itself, but the economic impact that flooding brings when it occurs.<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s authors compared over 940 counties with a relatively moderate to very high flood risk according to FEMA. They considered each county\u2019s risk and expected annual loss from riverine and coastal flooding, and also looked at the share of populations of children, elderly, and residents in mobile homes, in addition to local demand for flood insurance.<\/p>\n

While Ocean County was not considered to have a high vulnerable population \u2013 defined as a high number of mobile homes, senior citizens who live in flood zones and children under five who live in flood zones \u2013its high property values and sheer number of flood zones contributed to its high ranking. Areas such as Ocean County, where saltwater flooding is most common, are particularly at risk of seeing flood issues snowball over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cSubsidence and rising sea levels are poisoning trees with saltwater \u2014 accelerating tree loss and creating ghost forests along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, and in Alaska,\u201d said LawnStarter Editor-in-Chief Jeff Herman.<\/p>\n