FEMA Warns of Coastal Erosion
Tuesday, August 15th, 2000 PropertyErosion will claim one-quarter of homes and other structures within 500 feet of the U.S. coastline and the shorelines of the Great Lakes within the next 60 years, according to a study commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The results are, in many ways, far more alarming than we thought," said James Witt, FEMA‘s director. "If current trends hold, more than 1,500 homes a year will be lost to coastal erosion. The cost of these homes, and the land on which they sit, will be more than $500 million per year." Areas along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines will be hit especially hard and are expected to account for 60 percent of nationwide losses, the report notes. Least affected will be large cities on the East Coast, which are highly protected.
