Why do people choose to live in flood zones?

I would say that there are several reasons. For some, it's proximity to the water. For others, it's price. And for many, there is the perception that it won't happen to them, or that they don't believe the flood maps, or that nobody told them that it's a flood zone. read more

Advancements in technology, including flood control and development of "wasteland," have lured many new people into flood-prone areas. No doubt we all need a place to live and the growing population in itself has resulted in housing developments where "no man has gone before," or at least where no man has resided before. read more

Yet history is not the only reason why flood-prone locations are overpopulated. For one thing, rising sea levels and a changing climate are putting more cities’ residents at risk. And what’s more, new homes are still being built in flood-prone areas around the world. read more

You think that just because FEMA calls something a “flood zone,” that floods only happen there, and don’t happen outside that area. 20% of claims are paid outside flood zones, and most people outside flood zones don’t have flood insurance. read more

Or, even better, home builders who insist on constructing new houses in flood plains should be required to bear the full costs that they impose on society in the long run. Cities keep coming back. Another part of the problem is that people continue to live in flood-prone locations, even in the aftermath of large floods. read more

I would add: Sinking land- at least along the Gulf Coast, the land is slowing sinking. Coastal erosion, Louisiana is losing a football field a day of land mass. Not enough is being done to stop it. read more

This story will shed some light as to why so many people live, rebuild and move to areas that are threatened by flood waters. To answer a big part of this question, you have to go back decades and even centuries when the land was first being settled. read more