Hurricanes don't stop on the coast – these mountain towns understand how severe flood damage may be inland and are preparing

The French Broad River winds through the mountains of western North Carolina, fed by dozens of mountain streams, and passes through the town of Asheville. At over 2,000 feet above sea level and greater than 250 miles from the coast, it's unlikely that anyone here would wish to organize for a hurricane.

Nevertheless, through the years, the remnants of several hurricanes have swept through this region, causing the region's rivers to overflow their banks.

When these storms Back to back fightthe devastation may be enormous. In September 2004, for instance, the remnants of hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne All of them brought excessive rainfall to western North Carolina inside a matter of weeks, overwhelming the French Broad and other rivers within the Asheville area.

The history of western North Carolina is only one example of the risks posed by inland tropical cyclones.

In 1955 Connie, closely followed by Dianecaused a few of the worst flooding within the inland waters of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. Diane became generally known as the primary billion-dollar storm. The combined impacts prompted Congress to fund extensive studies of hurricane meteorology and mitigation measures.

Vermont was hit by Tropical Storm Irene in 2001, which destroyed a whole bunch of homes. In 1998, Tropical Storm Charley moved nearly 200 miles up the Rio Grande Valley and Flooding within the dry landscape of Texaswith devastating consequencesThe remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2022 caused nearly $84 billion in damage as its heavy rains caused flooding in states from Louisiana to New York.

I’m a historical geographer of flood hazards and the way communities exacerbate and reply to risk. With the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, expected to be exceptionally eventful, storms like this one are a reminder for mountain communities and other inland regions across the United States to organize.

Hard lessons from the mountains of North Carolina

Western North Carolina is a vital case study of a hurricane risk that could appear rare but can have catastrophic consequences, and the way some communities are starting to reply.

In July 1916, the Asheville area inundated by successive tropical storms River bridges and roads were torn apart, shops washed away and enormous parts of the town were flooded.

The first tropical storm reached Mississippi and moved into the southern Appalachians. While it lingered over western North Carolina, 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of rain fell within the mountains, which drained into streams after which rivers, including the French Broad.

Every week later, a second tropical storm made landfall, this time in South Carolina, heading toward the already saturated bottom of the French Broad River basin, dropping 12 to fifteen inches of rain near Brevard. Weather Bureau meteorologists wrote: saturated soils allowed 80% to 90% of the brand new precipitation flows from the mountains into the tributaries of the French Broad River.

In Asheville, the river rose to 23.1 feet – a record high, greater than 5 feet higher than any previous or subsequent crest. The water washed away bridges and damaged most businesses and industries within the flood plain.

Dozens of individuals died within the floods and trade was disrupted for weeks. The Santee River, which flows from the Blue Ridge Mountains toward the ocean, destroyed around 280,000 hectares of farmland in South Carolina.

The response to the storms of 1916 was not sufficient

After the storms there was We are talking about replacing some destroyed buildings were replaced with flood-resistant structures. However, the importance of railroad service and limited land for business and industrial use necessitated reconstruction near the river. Congress authorized a flood control study in 1930, but no structural protections were built. Revised constructing codes and land use restrictions to scale back the impact of flooding got here much later.

In September 2004, the region was again hit by a series of tropical storm disasters.

Hurricane Frances reached Florida and eventually moved over the Blue Ridge Mountains into western North Carolina. Remnants of the hurricane dropped 8 to 12 inches of rain near Asheville. Black Mountain received 15 inches of rain, which flowed right into a tributary of the French Broad River and caused widespread flooding where the rivers converge. The storm severed a water principal and cut off drinking water supplies to Asheville residents.

Shortly after Frances arrived, Hurricane Ivan raced onto the Alabama coast and moved inland, bringing one other 4 to 12 inches of rain to the French Broad Basin inside three days. Saturated soils on the mountain slopes lost their footing and caused quite a few landslidesand parts of Asheville and Brevard were flooded. Remnants of Hurricane Jeanne brought more rain to Western North Carolina a couple of days later.

It shouldn’t be enough to make use of the past to plan the longer term

Traditionally, officials planning for hazards equivalent to hurricanes have relied on records of past events to guide their decisions. However, this approach assumes that the climate is stable, and that is just not the case.

Warmer temperatures allow the air to carry more moisture, meaning tropical cyclones – and inland thunderstorms – can bring more rain.

This may be particularly problematic when huge storms move inland and cause streams and rivers to overflow their banks. Back-to-back storms may be much more destructive. New development in areas that weren’t previously subject to such severe flooding could turn out to be more vulnerable because the climate warms.

Some communities are starting to take into consideration how the risks might worsen in the longer term.

In the Asheville area, Buncombe County’s hazard reduction plan now explicitly addresses hurricane risks and recognizes that “future events are likely.”

After the 2004 flood, the county modified using a water reservoir to permit for floodwater storage as well. It now requires that latest buildings constructed within the 2004 flooded areas be 2 feet above the bottom flood elevation. The city of Brevard, 30 miles south of Asheville, restricted construction activity in flood-prone areas to limit future losses.

Asheville has Green spaces along the French Broad River and has made efforts to extend stormwater retention behind dams on tributaries. But modifying stormwater drainage systems is dear when existing systems are designed for historical rainfall levels slightly than the rainfall levels that climate change will bring.

Extreme weather events, including mountain and inland flooding, have gotten a more common problem within the United States. I consider they should be more widely considered in disaster planning in any respect levels. For communities, preparing for these future risks means Learning from the floods of the past But we must also remember that future storms could cause flooding of previously unimagined proportions.