Almost 60 percent of buildings in US vulnerable to natural disasters ─Research

*Experts found that as the global temperatures continue to rise and other climate change-related factors steadily increase, natural disasters are likely to impact infrastructure in the United States even further

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Climate change has been associated with much stress, fear about damage, and the threat of potential illnesses of recent.

Researchers from the American Geophysical Union in a fresh study explored the risk that natural disasters pose to structures across the United States (US).

The experts in the study findings explained that events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes are likely to become more frequent because of climate change. Unfortunately, that puts buildings in hotspots across the country at risk of damage and destruction.

Virginia Iglesias, one of the researchers, said: “We know that climate change is increasing the risk of damage from some natural hazards.

“But are losses also increasing because of the way that we are developing our cities, our towns?”

In investigating how climate change and infrastructure are impacting the US for the study, the researchers used data from Zillow to determine areas around the country that are the most susceptible to natural disasters.

They also built maps detailing where natural disasters typically strike and analysed land development data to see how building and infrastructure could play a role.

The team learned that nearly 60 percent of structures in the advanced country are located in places where natural disasters are common, which invariably puts them at an increased risk for damage or destruction.

The study noted though some safeguards are in place to protect these buildings, construction in these vulnerable areas continues to be on the rise lately.

This means that more and more structures are put at risk in the event of a natural disaster.

As global temperatures continue to rise and other climate change-related factors steadily increase, natural disasters are likely to become more prevalent.

Areas that are prone to events like floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes are likely to experience them more often, which is likely to impact the integrity of millions of buildings.

According to the researchers, building and development trends may also increase the risk of structural damages across the country in different ways.

In rural areas where tornadoes and wildfires are more common, the expansion of existing buildings puts structures at a greater risk of damage.

In more established urban areas, the volume of buildings and their close proximity to each other is the primary problem.

Going forward, the researchers hope that both lawmakers and developers take these findings into consideration in the country.

Both climate change and development trends need to be taken into consideration when considering the safety of buildings in the US, said the researchers.

Iglesias stated: “Vulnerability matters. There’s evidence that natural disasters exacerbate socioeconomic inequality.

“If we want to make decisions that effectively increase the ability of communities to cope with natural hazards, we need to know where vulnerable populations live, and the specific hazards they’re exposed to.”