Report: Southeast States Not Prepared for Future Risks from Climate Change

Many states across the country, particularly in the Southeast, are unprepared to face the risks posed from extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding, coastal flooding and other extreme weather events, according to a new report card from the States at Risk Project.

The “States at Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card,” graded all 50 states with an “A” through “F” based on the climate threats the state faces. Grades were based on the magnitude of the current and future threat and the action states have taken to prepare for them relative to other states.

The report was prepared through a collaboration of management consulting firm ICF International, and Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization, and is designed to provide a benchmark for states to assess risks and increase their preparedness levels.

According to the report, only California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania have taken strong action to prepare for future risks, scoring an overall A or A- grade. States getting an overall F grade include Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Texas.

Other key findings from the report include:

• States are more prepared for coastal flooding than any other risk, but only half of all coastal states are taking strong action to prepare for this risk.
• The most pervasive threat to the 48 states in the continental U.S. is that of extreme heat – heat wave days are projected to more than triple by 2050 in every state except Oregon. In the Southeast and Gulf Coast, the annual number of days of dangerous heat is projected to skyrocket by 2050. They will nearly double in Mississippi and quintuple in Florida to a grueling 130 days a year, up from 26.
• Florida, North Carolina and Georgia are at high risk of a growing wildfire threat. The threat of wildfire is also growing in Alabama and Mississippi.
• Of the Southeast states, only North Carolina scored above a C with an overall score of B+. Its most critical threat is coastal flooding. The report indicates that North Carolina has relatively low climate levels, and has taken “strong to extensive action” to address its current climate risks and a “fair amount of action” to address its future climate risks.

The other Southeast state grades include:

• Alabama “D-” – The report says Alabama faces considerable and significantly increasing threat levels from extreme heat, drought, wildfire and coastal flooding between now and 2050. It is least prepared for wildfire and coastal flooding.
• Florida “C-“- Florida is least prepared for coastal flooding inland flooding and is first in the nation for these threats and second in terms of extreme heat. The report says the state faces considerable and significantly increasing threats from drought and wildfire as well, and some of the most severe climate threats of any state, both now and in the future.
• Georgia “C-“- Georgia faces considerable and significantly increasing threat levels from extreme heat, drought, wildfire, inland flooding, and coastal flooding. It is one of the states most vulnerable to extreme heat in part because it has a larger number of heat wave days per year. It’s also threatened by coastal flooding.
• Kentucky “D” – Kentucky lacks a climate change adaptation plan and has not incorporated climate change projections into state policies or programs, said the report. It faces growing threat levels from extreme heat, drought, wildfire and inland flooding.
• Mississippi “F” – Mississippi has one of the worst preparedness scores when it comes to coastal flooding. The state received a low grade in drought, extreme heat, and wildfire future preparation action. The report says the state has taken strong action to address its current climate change risks through various programs, but has taken almost no action to implement programs that aim to address its future risks.
• South Carolina “C-” – The report predicts that South Carolina’s annual average number of heat wave days will quadruple by 2050 and the state has not produced a detailed, statewide vulnerability assessment for extreme heat nor developed an adaptation plan that covers it. It is also failing for coastal flooding preparedness.
• Tennessee “C”- The state currently has an above average threat for inland flooding and has taken limited action to assess its future inland flooding risks. It also has an above average overall threat from extreme heat, but has begun working on understanding how climate change could affect its future heat risks.
• West Virginia “C” – West Virginia is addressing its current risks, but has not assessed how its vulnerabilities could change under future climates, the report found. The state is facing one of the top 10 largest increases in heat wave days by 2050 among the lower 48 states. It also has “a long way to go” to be more prepared for its growing inland flooding threat, said the report.