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Most Americans Unaware of Flood Risks, Study Finds
The lack of disclosure laws in most states has led to an overvaluation of homes located in floodplains across the country. May 10, 2021, 7am PDT | Diana Ionescu |
Many American homeowners remain unaware of the risks their properties face because most states have nonexistent or inadequate flood risk disclosure laws, writes Jena Brooker for Grist. This lack of transparency has created a false real estate market in parts of the U.S., according to new research from Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, found there are almost 4 million single-family homes located in floodplains nationwide that collectively are overvalued by $44 billion based on their flood risk, or an average $11,526 per house.
Jena Brooker
Jena Brooker is a freelance journalist based in Detroit. She writes about the environment and intersections of race and inequality.
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