well new research reveals how the growing flooding risk in New Jersey could displace more than a million residents here who don't have the economic means to move that data was put together by the group Rebuild by Design which finds that roughly half of the people who live in high-risisk flood areas are low-income residents who lack the resources to relocate out of harm's way threatening billions to the state's property tax revenue and tens of billions more to property values senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan takes a look we're sounding the alarm and we're saying "Hey let's take a look at this before people suffer."

Amy Chesters with Rebuild by Design the same group that created Hoboken's cuttingedge flood water barrier system after Superstorm Sandy wrecked the coastline they've studied Jerseys high-risk flood zones home to 1.3 million residents potential climate refugees their new maps show about half could probably afford to permanently relocate but the rest would need government money to move out of harm's way the data predicts the point if we're given a chance to decide whether we want to move now or maybe in 10 years and we can plan our lives around it then we will all be better off and so will the state of New Jersey chester notes over the next 25 years severe flooding could threaten property worth $436 billion erasing 6 billion in tax revenues for Jersey towns and those climate refugees to stay close to family and jobs they'd move within New Jersey the study shows compounding the state's already critical affordable housing shortage we can harden our homes we can raise our homes there's a lot of things we can do in the short term that will allow us to live there for another generation past that we don't know but if we make those investments now we're all going to be a lot safer something that the state is wrestling with and and really has to figure out is an investment strategy new Jersey Futures Peter Cabac and other advocates say the study suggests solutions like the DP's Blue Acres program which just received a new $3.2 $2 million federal grant to buy out floodprone homes but he says officials need to recognize relocation raises serious equity issues it's going to be more expensive and it's going to um take more time for people who have lower incomes and it ultimately is not going to be very fair how things work out um if left to their own devices what struck me in this report was this population is primarily stuck they don't have the means to migrate away from the hazard even if they were to have damage to your home like you mentioned and where would they go tom Harrington's with the New Jersey Crant Consortium and says wealthy homeowners don't worry about moving so when will flooding push regular folks to leave as the report predicts when that happens is difficult to say you know so far what we've seen in terms of people moving from coastal areas has been in response to disasters more so than chronic flooding and I think the challenge is to get out ahead recognize this is coming and to make for a sort of an orderly migration um defend where it's appropriate and keep you know vital infrastructure in place but um it's probably not a good idea to be continuing to intensify the development um in these high hazard areas along shoreline the Literal Society's Tim Dillingham agrees with most towns that these issues need deep study and serious investment the report suggests a state bond issue municipalities aware of risks want to discuss options that's a conversation I think we have to have because this this has to be a team effort uh on in in the current current environment the municipalities at most risk may have the least financial resources to prepare for that risk meanwhile business leaders point to New Jersey's high cost of living and some just don't buy into the reports predictions of climate migration we don't believe that their projections are necessarily um accurate we think they're overstated ray Caner says New Jersey's Business and Industry Association also rejects the DP's sea level rise estimates and its proposed rules to harden vulnerable infrastructure there are solutions out there um there are ways we could do this probably somewhat cost effective but we need to have the conversation we don't think it's a matter of retreat or climate migrants the Rebuild by Design report encourages all sides to have those conversations soon i'm Brenda Flanigan NJ Spotlight News