Coastal Flood Risk in the Rural Southeast Estimated to Increase by 2050

['Sarah Melotte', 'The Daily Yonder', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] The Daily Yonder 2025-09-17 09:58:00

In the coastal Southeast, a higher share of rural residents will face increased estimated flood risk in 2050 compared to their urban counterparts. In preparation for writing this story, I’ve been investigating flood risk in the coastal Southeast, both inside and outside the Gullah Geechee corridor. The following map shows where coastal flood risk is estimated to be the most severe in 2050. Rural Hyde County, North Carolina, has the highest percentage of residents estimated to be at risk of coastal flooding in the coming decades. If you want to learn more about this data and explore flood risk in your own community, go to the Coastal Risk Finder and type in your state, town, or county.