Why coastal flooding is becoming an invisible Australian climate crisis
About 85 per cent of NSW lives within 50 kilometres of the coast. Most don't know their flood risk as sea levels rise.
Virginia Jones moved to the Tweed Coast to start a new life. Her Bogangar home flooded for the first time in February 2022, forcing her to strip mouldy plaster and completely rebuild.
Most Australians don't realise their flood risk. About 85 per cent of NSW lives within 50 kilometres of the coast, much of it in low-lying areas around lagoons and estuaries.
Sea level rise, extreme rainfall and urban development increase both flooding and erosion. The NSW government ranks coastal hazard as the state's biggest future threat to the built environment.
Why it mattersMany Australians don't know they live in flood-prone areas. Rising insurance costs and property damage will force hard choices about retreating from coasts.
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