CAtastrophic floods across Europe, Asia and parts of the US in recent months have made the public aware of how vulnerable cities and towns are often affected by hurricanes and storms.
After floodwaters devastated Valencia, Spain in early November, King Felipe, Queen Letitia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited to view the damage. Residents, upset that more than 200 people have died in Spain’s worst floods in decades, threw mud at them.
In southern Germany, eight people died as historic floods damaged houses, bridges and roads, part of the damage that also hit Austria and Croatia. On the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts of the US, damage is estimated at $300 billion following Hurricanes and Milton.
The damage included Asheville, NC, which is thought to be too far inland to take a direct hit, and where residents were still cleaning up late in the year.
Although the coverage of hurricanes and storms is looking at surface damage, experts have warned for years about the dangers these weather events pose to water supplies.
Cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Toronto, Seoul and many across the US, have introduced actions to protect water systems, but recent emergencies show that more needs to be done.
“It showed me a place in the United States that is safe from flash floods,” said Andrew Kruczkeiwicz, an instructor at the Columbia University Climate School. “They can happen almost everywhere.”
In 2008, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared that “there is overwhelming evidence that freshwater resources are at risk and have the potential to be a major contributor to climate change, with diverse consequences for human communities and the environment.”
In a 17-page fact sheet, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warns that storms and floods can cause a loss of system pressure, allowing groundwater to contaminate equipment, pipes and drinking water.
It says municipalities can take various measures, including lifting and moving pump houses, installing flood protection engines at pumping stations, and increasing the storage of fresh water in emergencies.
“Flood risk is being underestimated across the country,” said Victoria Salinas, FEMA’s senior acting deputy administrator for sustainability. “Even though most Americans know that floods happen, they don’t believe it will happen to them.”
Federally funded programs have been going on for years in places like Minot, ND, Gastonia, NC and Houma, Louisiana, and Trenton, NJ, with specific water threats in each area. But no type of mitigation is easy and cost-effective, FEMA said.
Meanwhile, the cost of hurricanes is mounting. By the end of 2024, the organization had distributed more than $1.2 billion in direct aid to the survivors of hurricanes Helene and Milton, and another $1.1 billion was allocated to trash removal and other measures.
In Helene’s wake, water systems in Western North Carolina were devastated. Two water treatment plants were knocked offline, after being flooded by storm water. The storm cut off 70% of Asheville’s water supply, and more than 40% of private wells were declared non-potable.
World Central Kitchen, a charity founded by chef Jose Andres, has sent five water tanker trucks to the Asheville area. Mules were used to carry water and food in isolated mountain areas.
During Hurricane Milton, 30 water mains in St. Petersburg, Florida, were broken, mostly by falling trees. A dozen municipalities across Florida have issued boil water advisories.
A similar storm 70 years ago launched Toronto’s efforts to reduce flood damage. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel swept north from the Bahamas, through Virginia and New York State, and into Ontario, dumping more than 11 inches of rain on Canada’s largest city.
Many bridges on the west side of Toronto were destroyed, 81 Torontonians died, and thousands of people lost their homes.
That spurred a decades-long effort that included moving development away from floodplains, creating green spaces where destroyed homes once stood, flood control efforts and improved flood warnings and forecasting systems.
“What people experience really drives action,” said David Kellershohn, director of engineering services for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
These days, Toronto is rarely disturbed by storms. But it is raining more and more. This July was its wettest month on record, with about 8.5 inches. Another storm in mid-July resulted in an estimated $940 million in insured losses, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. In August, Toronto set a new record for one-day rainfall that closed freeway lanes and stranded traffic.
Experts say more communication is needed to warn the public about the daily dangers posed by hurricanes and storm surges. “People have a feeling that there’s a flood happening somewhere—the water is overflowing, and it’s flooding,” said Kruczkeiwicz of Columbia University.
But it happens everywhere. In July, the southern coast of South Korea was hit by heavy rain, killing four, prompting landslide warnings in nearly 50 places, and resulting in the evacuation of 3,500 people. Officials urged residents to avoid underground parking garages and highway underpasses, for fear of being trapped.
That typhoon came two years after Seoul experienced floods, prompting the city to begin flood control, focusing on apartment buildings and subway stations. Build underground rainwater storage facilities and a flood forecasting and warning system.
With more information now available to its residents, officials in the Toronto area hope that the devastating impact of a historic storm like Hazel will never be repeated, even though today’s storms may bring similar levels of rainfall. “Our ability to warn people of danger and help them stay away from danger is very large,” said Kellershohn.
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