U.S. coastal flooding devastates millions of people in cities and impacts their mobility in everyday life. In 2023, New York City declared a state of emergency due to flash floods sweeping their city. The city’s subway systems, streets, and highways were all affected by the flooding. City officials urged people to stay home and limit traveling during this time. Residents of the city reported that the flooding has disrupted and inconvenienced their daily living and mobility, as it has been difficult for them to travel where they need to go. Populations in the city often spend their time away from their place of residence for reasons including occupation, education, recreation, and more. However, the flooding hazards disallow people to proceed to community facilities due to the dangerously moving and knee-deep water. Recently, a study of the mobility behavioral shifts in cities due to flooding was conducted, and it was reported that people of color, the economically disadvantaged, and undereducated communities were disproportionately impacted by the residential flood exposure. It was also found that people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to reside in flood zones, thus amplifying the risk of exposure to flood hazards in vulnerable populations. The flooding issues in U.S. coastal cities is an issue that must be addressed, as it impacts the mobility of the city populations as well as the economically disadvantaged.

Shannon Eberle