Publication Date October 10, 2016 | National Geographic

Hurricane Matthew’s Destructive Storm Surges Hint at New Normal

United States
Waves pound a pier on Pompano Beach, Florida, spurred by Hurricane Matthew. The state is ill-prepared for rising seas, experts warn. Photo: Gaston de Cardenas, AFP Getty
Waves pound a pier on Pompano Beach, Florida, spurred by Hurricane Matthew. The state is ill-prepared for rising seas, experts warn. Photo: Gaston de Cardenas, AFP Getty

St. Augustine, the 511-year-old tourist town in northern Florida, was swamped by a record-breaking nine-foot storm surge, as was Tybee Island off Georgia, where high tide and the storm surge coincided to inundate the low-lying barrier island