How should I feel about ocean levels rising when I live in Louisiana?
September 14, 2015 5:28 PM Subscribe
Given: I think too much. We're fixing up the bathroom and I'm considering putting some cash into fixing the driveway, but then I wonder if the house will be (literally) under water in a few years time... (Sulphur, LA - on the Texas side of Lake Charles). Am I paranoid or is this valid?
This might answer some questions: National Climate Assessment
and this:
Geology.com
or this:
NOAA
How is your flood insurance?
posted by Toddles at 6:06 PM on September 14, 2015
and this:
Geology.com
or this:
NOAA
How is your flood insurance?
posted by Toddles at 6:06 PM on September 14, 2015
Some questions to ponder that may help you make a decision:
1) Do you have adequate flood insurance coverage?
(Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Flood coverage is available from the National Flood Insurance Program.)
2) How much do these repairs/renovations improve your quality of life?
3) Can you afford to have this work done? Have you worked out a budget for the project and how that fits into your overall financial situation?
4) How long do you plan on staying in this house?
(The longer you plan to stay, the more it would make sense to spend the money as you would get to enjoy it.)
It's good to think about and plan for contingencies, but you can only control so much. Cover your bases by having adequate insurance coverages, and a good financial cushion. Then let go of the other things that you can't control.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 6:23 PM on September 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
1) Do you have adequate flood insurance coverage?
(Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Flood coverage is available from the National Flood Insurance Program.)
2) How much do these repairs/renovations improve your quality of life?
3) Can you afford to have this work done? Have you worked out a budget for the project and how that fits into your overall financial situation?
4) How long do you plan on staying in this house?
(The longer you plan to stay, the more it would make sense to spend the money as you would get to enjoy it.)
It's good to think about and plan for contingencies, but you can only control so much. Cover your bases by having adequate insurance coverages, and a good financial cushion. Then let go of the other things that you can't control.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 6:23 PM on September 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Here's some more local info on expected sea level rise in Sulphur. Depending on your elevation, and how long you plan to stay, I don't think it would be crazy to consider moving.
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:53 PM on September 14, 2015
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:53 PM on September 14, 2015
The biggest thing that is going to nail a coastal area like this is storm surge from hurricanes. There is a lot of work being done to improve storm surge flood inundation mapping by a number of different federal agencies. For example, here is a storm surge map for Calcasieu Parish. Here is another web map showing worst case storm surge scenarios.
posted by rockindata at 6:56 PM on September 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rockindata at 6:56 PM on September 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Insurance companies are smarter than you. If you can even get flood insurance, and it's not super-duper expensive, you won't be underwater unless it's a Katrina-style catastrophe.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:57 PM on September 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:57 PM on September 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Sulphur's 16 ft. above sea level; IPCC projects by 2100 up to 1.5 meters sea rise. Seems like you've got a few decades before you have ocean front property.
posted by at at 8:14 PM on September 16, 2015
posted by at at 8:14 PM on September 16, 2015
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posted by DarlingBri at 5:42 PM on September 14, 2015