Know your flood risk, expert cautions P.E.I. homebuyers
CBC
P.E.I. could be doing more to help homebuyers understand the risk of flooding on properties they are buying, says an expert in climate resilient infrastructure.
Information on areas prone to coastal flooding is available on P.E.I., but Joanna Eyquem, managing director of climate resilient infrastructure with the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, would like to see it presented more prominently.
"It's not routine for people to be checking flood plain maps when they buy a home, but I'm hoping in the future that will be much more transparent," Eyquem told Island Morning host Laura Chapin.
"It should not be a risk that's under the carpet. We should all be aware."
The provincial government has developed a map that shows coastal flooding risks for all properties in the province. The map is colour-coded to show high, moderate-high and moderate-low hazard flood areas.
An additional service will provide a coastal hazard assessment for any property for free.
But Eyquem notes in the United States flood risk indicators are right on property listings. In an email to CBC News, the province said it is working in that direction.
"Disclosure of coastal hazards at the level of real estate transactions is something that Environment, Energy and Climate Action has promoted for a number of years," the statement said.
"We have spoken with and presented to the P.E.I. Real Estate Association on this topic, and have seen an increase in uptake of Coastal Hazard Assessments in recent years."
Disclosure is now voluntary, but that could change in coming years, the province said.
There are other risks associated with climate change that homebuyers should also be considering, said Eyquem, including risks from wildfire and from river floodplains.
The province is currently working with the federal government to identify areas prone to flooding along rivers.
Eyquem has been working with the province and the City of Charlottetown on flood prevention solutions.
The province needs to take a strategic approach to coastal erosion, she said, and find ways to work with nature.