WASHINGTON - Twelve of the country's 47 largest airports are vulnerable to storm surges that are expected to increase from climate change, according to a White House report released earlier this week.
The U.S. National Climate Assessment released Tuesday warned that coastal airports with at least one runway 12 feet or less above sea level could suffer flooding during moderate to high storm surges.
The report noted that metro New York's big three airports - John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark - already flooded in October 2012 during the 14-foot tidal surge from Hurricane Sandy. LaGuardia closed for three days.
LaGuardia already maintains a dike and pumps for floodwaters, according to a 2002 Transportation Department report cited in the White House report.
"Many coastal airports are vulnerable to flooding," the 2002 report noted from a California assessment about airports built on swamps in San Francisco and Oakland. "Extreme high tides, coupled with flood conditions, can reach close to the existing levels."
Sea levels are projected to rise 1 to 4 feet this century, and more frequent storms from climate change could either flood runways or force construction of expensive barriers, the report said.
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