Coastal flooding

Coastal flooding happens when dry and low-lying land is submerged by water. The range of a coastal flooding event is from the elevation of floodwater. It is controlled by topography of coastal land exposed to flooding.

Coastal floods are largely natural events. Human influence on the coastal environment, though, can make coastal floods worse.

Storms, including tropical cyclones can cause flooding from storm surge, and rising sea levels from climate change.

Coastal Flooding Media

• 

  Coastal flooding during Hurricane Lili in 2002 on Louisiana Highway 1 (United States)

• 

  High tide flooding, also called tidal flooding, is one of the causes for coastal flooding. It has become much more common in the past seven decades.

• 

  Storm surge from Hurricane Carol in 1954

• 

  Tidal flooding on a sunny day, during the "king tides" in Brickell, Miami in 2016

• 

  The last remaining house on Holland Island that collapsed and was torn down in the 2010s as erosion and tides reached the foundation.

• 

  Groynes are engineered structures that aim to prevent erosion of the beach front

• 

  Mangroves

• 

  The Thames Barrier provides flood control for London, U.K.

• 

  Significant flooding in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the city's flood protection systems

• 

  A village near the coast of Sumatra lies in ruin on 2 January 2005 after the devastating tsunami that struck on Boxing Day 2004