New Orleans, Houston, Chicago among major cities with highest flood risks

New Orleans, Houston and Chicago are among the larger U.S. cities that currently face flooding risks, based on the number of properties at risk and the proportion of parcels at risk, according to a study by the nonprofit First Street Foundation.

New Orleans topped the foundation’s list of cities with at least 45,000 properties that have the largest percentages of their parcels at risk, the analysis found. The Louisiana city has 148,197 properties, or 98 percent of its total properties, at risk of flooding, First Street reported.

Houston, with 186,481 parcels subject to flooding, topped the list of large cities with the highest number of properties at risk. Those properties make up 32 percent of the city’s parcels, according to the analysis.

Chicago followed Houston on that list, with 154,824 properties at risk, or 26 percent of the city’s total properties, the study says. 

A total of 21.8 million properties nationwide are classified as flood risks in the current climate conditions, First Street reports. Those states with the largest share of properties at risk of flooding are Louisiana (39.5 percent), Florida (29.5 percent) and West Virginia (28.1 percent).

Alaska and Hawaii were not included in the flood-risk analysis.

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Cities in Each State With the Largest Share of Parcels at Risk