(TLP:CLEAR) Research Report – Understanding the Global Flood Risk

Summary: A recent research report from the First Street Foundation examines global flood risk and offers emergency managers, public safety officials, and other stakeholders with a tool for assessing flood risk for any property in the world. Given the increase in global flooding events, utilities are encouraged to leverage this free resource.

Analyst Note: Flooding continues to be the most frequent and costliest natural disaster. Underscoring its destructiveness, a U.S. government report estimated the total cost of flooding in the U.S. is between $180 and $500 billion each year. In 2025, the U.S. experienced record flash flood warnings, underscoring the projection that most areas of the continental U.S. will experience greater flood risk in a warming climate going forward.

According to the report, “flood risk is accelerating worldwide, and it’s reshaping exposure for companies, investors, and markets at a scale that traditional approaches can’t consistently capture.” The report also introduces the First Street Global Flood Model (FS-GFM), a first-of-its-kind system that provides a physics-based, high-resolution view of flood exposure for any property in the world. The report’s key takeaways include:

• Flooding is Accelerating, and Losses are Already Historic – Since 1980, weather-related disasters have driven over $5+ trillion in global losses, with the majority tied to flood hazards. The trend is not only increasing in frequency, but also expanding across regions previously considered lower risk.
• Flood Exposure is Global in Scale – New estimates show that roughly one in four people worldwide face substantial flooding risk today, underscoring that flood is not a property-specific threat, but a systemic driver of risk across markets.
• Economic Concentration Is Massive – An estimated $18 trillion in global GDP sits in areas exposed to substantial flood disruptions, highlighting how flood risk can translate into economic volatility and financial stress across interconnected markets.

Original Source: https://firststreet.org/research-library/defining-the-globes-flood-risk

Additional Reading:

• The First National Flood Risk Assessment
• (TLP:GREEN) Flood Risk Management Must Include Nature to Address Increasingly Common Large Floods

Mitigation Recommendations:

• EPA – Build Flood Resilience at Your Water and Wastewater Utility
• FEMA Flood Maps

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 16 & 17