An article published by CARE2 describes that according to a study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), The Nature Conservancy and the University of California-Santa Cruz, overall that flood protection is worth more than $1.8 billion in the U.S. and its territories.
For the study, researchers analyzed the risks of floods and benefits of reefs along the coasts of Hawaii, Florida, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by creating flood risk maps to forecast what would happen with different types of storms with and without reefs present, and figured out where people and properties would be most affected.
While the cost benefits varied by location, researchers found that every year reefs protect more than 18,000 people from flooding, prevent flood damage worth more than $825 million to more than 5,694 buildings, protect critical infrastructure, and save millions in damages due to what would be lost economic activity.
Photos by Unsplash.com
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