Annapolis One Of Most Vulnerable Cities, Has No Way To Pay To Cope W. Sea Level Rise

In the upcoming fight against climate change, Annapolis doesn’t have an environmental problem. It has a money problem. A resilience financing study undertaken by University of Maryland researchers portends a watery future if the City of Annapolis cannot — in the next 10 to 20 years — find creative financing to build up and protect the city against a rising sea.

Sea-level rise threatens Annapolis perhaps more than most cities in the United States. The city experienced on average 39.3 floods a year between 2007 and 2013, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a more than a 900-percent increase from the average 3.8 floods a year between 1957 and 1963. The latest flooding data is not available due to the federal government shutdown.

In an intermediate situation — not the best and not the worst case scenario — the Severn River could rise anywhere from .6 to 3.6 feet by 2050, according to Gina Henderson, an oceanography professor at the Naval Academy. But neither the current revenue the city takes in, nor its borrowing capacity will be enough to make the city completely “resilient” against the effects of climate change — which could include rising seas, more intense storms and uncommon weather events like droughts or flash floods.

University researchers concluded the city, while having taken steps to address climate change impacts, has no clear plan or vision for protecting the city or how to pay for that protection. “This report is written with an understanding of the facts,” Dan Nees, a senior research associate at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, told the City Council at a work session this month. “The facts are, climate change is real and it will impact this city in ways we can only dream about right now.”

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https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/annapolis/ac-cn-resilience-20190123-story.html