There’s a lot at risk from sea level rise and flooding. Higher sea levels cause more frequent tidal flooding and worsen storm surge, which not only damages personal property, but threatens human health, emergency response time, city infrastructure, the economy, military readiness, and important habitats.
When the ocean rises, tides become higher, water can travel further inland, and even normal high tides can turn into floods. It’s like a bathtub filled close to the top: a small increase like a king tide (extreme high tide) can push the water over the edge and into the streets. As the sea level continues to rise, the bathtub becomes even fuller, causing higher flooding more often.