Real Estate

Resilience facing the sea: an emerging service

As global warming is affecting the entire climate and is constantly changing, the problem of constant waterfront flooding is becoming more and more real as water levels rise. In light of these facts, a fairly popular service is emerging known as a waterfront resiliency service that helps people who own waterfront property decide what to do with it to ensure they don’t lose their home and make the best possible decision taking into account the circumstances. Many homeowners in coastal cities risk losing their homes to flooding if they don’t take steps to protect themselves, so this type of service is becoming more popular as the days go by and temperatures rise. water levels also rise.

What does the future hold for residential property owners in coastal cities?

With the recent changes in the entire climate due to global warming, many climate change experts advise people not to invest in waterfront real estate due to constantly rising water levels. Many climate change experts believe it’s not a good long-term investment even though owning a beach house is considered a luxury right now and probably something we’d all love to have. The reason they think it’s not the best option is because they think by the year 2100 the water levels will rise so high that they’ll flood a lot of this prime real estate that’s close to the beach and generations to come will just lose money from this investment.

The water is expected to rise up to about 6 feet and cause many problems and constant flooding in coastal towns and cities. Many homeowners in areas that are flooding even now will have much bigger problems a few years from now. The waterfront lifestyle is not in immediate danger at this time, but it is expected to be as the years go by and global warming takes its toll. For those who live for the moment, this should not be a problem, but for those who are thinking about the future and the future of their children, there are two ways in which they can save their investment and not lose money because the houses in front of the sea lower of price. They can sell now and move to a better location that is unlikely to be affected by the rising water level or stay and adapt their property making sure they are prepared.

Exploring the options

Selling and moving somewhere is the easiest option but not the only one. If you decide to sell, the path is clear and doesn’t need much explaining, but checking which locations are least likely to be affected by rising water levels is crucial so you don’t move in vain. There are companies that deal with this such as Coastal Risk that can help you in your search for a better habitat. However, if you want to enjoy your beach house for years to come and be sure to leave it to your children so they can enjoy it too, you will need to retrofit it so it can withstand climate changes from global warming. There are steps you can take to ensure your waterfront property isn’t damaged when the water levels rise, but they can be quite expensive and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.

How to adapt?

As we mentioned, adjusting can take a while, but deciding to stay and do nothing will cost you more as the years go by because you’ll be at constant risk of flooding and losing your precious home, so it’s much better to start adjusting sooner rather than later. before. later The steps you can take will depend on where you live and government regulatory options. For example, if the area you live in is often affected by earthquakes like the one in California, elevating your house on metal poles is not a safe option and you will have to go another route.

Structural Options

Elevation

One of the options is to make structural changes to your home to make sure your property doesn’t flood, and one of those options is to elevate it on metal posts so it’s further away from the water. This is done by digging deep into the ground and planting posts that can support your house, but the land must be suitable and the area where you live must not be prone to earthquakes. It is quite expensive to do this, but it will surely keep your entire property away from flood damage.

sea ​​walls

Another way to do this is to build structures near the shoreline that keep water out of your beachfront real estate. You can check with a construction company and get a quote on how much this would cost, but it’s a bit pricey, just like the previous option. However, it is far better to do so than to leave things to chance and risk losing everything in a decade due to flood damage.

flood proof

Renovate your home and use materials that can withstand short-term flooding and make sure you relocate any services that could be damaged by flooding to a higher level, for example, the power station will be damaged if there is a flood and we have a lower level. This is one of the cheapest options you can do to make sure you are at least a little bit safer.

soft options

dune building

One option that doesn’t involve making changes to the house but is quite expensive is to invest in building a sand dune that will slow down flooding and maybe even prevent it altogether. Another way to go, which is even more expensive, is to build a nearby offshore island that will slow the rise of water levels and cushion the risk of flooding.

taking care of your beach

Replenishing sediment loss from constant erosion on your beach is also something you can do to prevent constant flooding, although this is one of the more expensive options, but it still works and if you have enough to support it, you should start right now.

The best way to ensure that your property remains safe is to do a combination of these ideas that we share with you and, if possible, do them all. This way you will have all the preventive measures taken and the risk of getting flooded anyway and losing your investment is minimal and almost nil.

Will coastal cities be affordable only for the rich?

The more time passes, the clearer it becomes owning waterfront real estate is going to get more and more expensive due to rising water levels and all the adjustments and adaptations people will have to make to their homes. But that’s not the only thing that will make it difficult for the not-so-rich to own property in these cities. The other thing is that insuring a house there would be next to impossible unless you don’t have a mortgage and don’t have to worry about it. In places that are constantly hit by hurricanes, the insurance for this can cost a lot of money and get up to an extra $1000 per month and in cities that are at risk of flooding, the insurance would also increase so make sure you have an agent. because this is of the utmost importance.

Are coastal cities taking any action on this problem?

Yes, various cities around the world are taking action and doing some things to address this issue. The first thing they focus on doing is diking the critical parts that are most exposed and a few other things to keep the water out like surge barriers, overflow chambers and water pumps. The second thing they focus on to prevent flooding is implementing plans to restore land, mangroves and wetlands to keep the water out or slow down the flooding. The latest thing they are doing is advising people who own property in their cities and helping them figure out how to make sure their home is not affected by rising water levels due to global warming. Improving the design of their homes and building resiliency are two of the things they do for their citizens, but if there are no other options, retiring is also part of their plan.

How do resiliency services like Coastal Risk help people?

They help them by forecasting how coastal storms will affect their area in the coming years and finding an effective solution to their needs. They act as advisors and depending on your willingness to stay or move they will provide you with the perfect solution. If you decide to move and sell your property they can help you find another place that will not be affected when the water level rises and if you decide to stay they will put you in contact with qualified architects and engineers to ensure you get the best service and the best people to make sure your home stays afloat and doesn’t flood.

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