America’s Mass Migration – And No One Is Telling You

Mass Migration – Of Americans – Is On the Cards. Yet There’s Little Information Or Planning.

What You'll Discover Here:

Just imagine what this is like:-

You buy a beautiful house – it’s your dream home, and you love it.
It’s a massive investment – the biggest you’ll ever make. But it’s worth it.
In 1997 your beautiful home is flooded. So you throw out your sodden, smelly, muddy carpet and lay tiles instead, and try to tidy everything up.
In 2006, flood water tears up the tiles. So you put down linoleum instead.
In 2013 the linoleum is ruined by the next flood, so you just paint the concrete.
That meant there was a little less to clean up when your house was flooded again in 2015.

This is the ongoing nightmare that faced Olga McKissic, she told the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) in a video.

But why buy a house that’s in a flood area, I asked myself. It turned out to be a good question.

One BIG reason is that there is not enough information. And that’s shocking. There is a mixed patchwork of flood risk disclosure laws, according to research from the NRDC and the Sabin Center for Climate Law.

In 21 states, there are NO statutory or regulatory requirements for a seller to disclose a property’s flood risks or past flood damages to a potential buyer
The other 29 states have varying degrees of disclosure requirements – and many are not enough to protect homeowners. (View an interactive map of your state’s laws here.).

Surely there should be a way to find out about a property’s past history? What about publicly-accessible flood damage information? What about a voluntary property buyout program? (insurance programs often concentrate on re-building homes – which are likely to flood again. It’s much cheaper to purchase the flood-prone property and convert it to open space).

What Happens When You Are Flooded?

Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Frequent flooing could lead to mass migration — After Hurricane Harvey – waiting to be rescued. Photo: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Your choices are stark.

You can stay, try to get some insurance money, and try to put your home back together. While you wait for the next event.
Or you move – to higher ground.
Or, if it’s not flooding but wildfires or excessive heat that’s the problem, you consider moving to cooler areas.

When you face brutal storms, flooding, receding coastlines and punishing heat, all made more extreme by climate change, you may want to move. Perhaps to safer parts of the same area, or to other states.Some towns from Alaska to Louisiana are looking to relocate, in their entirety, to safer ground.

Ultimately, sea level rise alone could displace 13 million American people, according to one study, including 6 million in Florida.

Louisiana, California, New York and New Jersey are also at risk.

13 million displaced? That’s a mass migration.

You stay, and face more of the same problems – or you move. It’s a lousy choice.

America’s Mass Migration

This new mass migration in America will be from every coastal place in the US to every other place in the US. Imagine slow-moving roads, clogged with cars trailing big moving vans full of possessions. And everyone will be looking for accommodation, work and food.

How will the US cope?

But – not everyone can afford to move. Imagine the catastrophe – trapped populations in a downward spiral. It’s horrible to consider.

Forecasts paint a grim picture – only parts of some neighborhoods will be abandoned, leaving them sparse and wild-looking. The tax base will start to crumble, so services, including policing, will deteriorate. And property will be worth nothing.

What and where will be sacrificed?

Mass Migration is Not About Just People. It’s Also About Wealth

As temperatures rise, people get grumpy. Even with air-conditioning, it can be unpleasant in extreme temperatures.

Reports forecast that many people will no longer find parts of the south-west and south-east attractive to live in. Cities already struggling with heat will see wealthy residents head for cooler climes (155 people died in Phoenix last year due to a particularly fierce summer)

In the western states, wildfires are getting larger, choking thousands of people with carcinogenic smoke

A study published last year found that the economies of the southern states, along with parts of the west, will suffer disproportionately as temperatures rise.

Some say it could be one of the largest transfers of wealth in US history, as people and their money move north and west.

Is It Just America?

Absolutely not. This scenario is happening all over the world.

People from Central America are being nudged northwards because of drought and hurricanes in their homes.
Globally, as many as 300 million climate refugees worldwide by 2050 are forecast.

We just can’t cope with that.

What’s the Solution?

We need to plan now for what’s coming – and we need to stop our addiction to fossil fuels in order to slow climate change.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t see the US government making detailed plans on how to cope with the coming mass migration. Perhaps I’m wrong. I hope so.

And when, when will we find the will to stop thinking about ourselves and our convenience and ease? When will governments around the world stop using fossil fuels and invest in the development of renewables?

We can all reduce our individual carbon footprint. That will help………

……..But we also need broad changes in government and industry. Can individuals do anything? Of course!

Talk about it! Talk to your friends and colleagues and raise awareness. Share why it’s so important. And vote on this issue. This is not a political party issue – ask elected officials what their solutions are, no matter what part of the political spectrum they’re from.

Our future is closely related to what we do about climate change. If we continue to use fossil fuels, sea level and temperatures will rise. If we continue with business as usual, the risks will be far, far greater than if we take action.

Start making a difference today – download your FREE report on the 3 big things that you can do to help slow climate change. (Spoiler alert:- recycling is great, but it won’t make a big difference).