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Study: North Carolina Has Lost Nearly $600 Million To Rising Coastal Waters

Waves wash ashore hitting a house as winds and storm surge from Tropical Storm Maria lash North Carolinas Outer Banks on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Finley)

A new study suggests the value of beach properties on the East Coast has dropped by billions of dollars in the last decade, and it's likely to continue.

The study comes from the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit that spreads awareness about sea-level rise. And the numbers are stark.

The report suggests that more than $7 billion in coastal property value has been lost across just five states, including the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.

In North Carolina, scientists found nearly 82,000 properties had been affected over the last decade to the tune of roughly $600 million.

The publicly available FloodiQ can show property owners their risk of flooding, the expected level of nearby rising water through 2033, and more.

While other studies have looked at what could happen as oceans rise, this investigation is among the first to look at what people have already lost.

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, sea levels in places like Wilmington are expected to climb more than six inches over the next few decades.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

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