LISTEN: The Natural Resources Defense Council is calling for tougher flood disclosure laws, particularly in states like Georgia where such requirements don't exist. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

A flooded home in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Caption

A flooded home in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Credit: FEMA

Georgia homebuyers face some of the steepest flood-related costs in the nation, according to a new study released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy organization.

The report reveals that homebuyers in Georgia should expect to pay approximately $140,000 in flood damages over the course of a new 30-year mortgage, placing the state third nationwide behind only Connecticut and Alabama.

Environmental experts at the nonprofit urged Georgia to require that real estate agents disclose a property's flood history to potential buyers — a rule that the state currently lacks.

"If you are buying a home and you do not know that it has previously flooded, or that you wouldn't need flood insurance, you could be setting yourself up for a very financially ruinous situation," said NRDC environmental attorney Joel Scata.

According to Scata, the absence of comprehensive disclosure laws leaves potential homebuyers uninformed and unable to make educated decisions about flood mitigation investments, insurance coverage or whether to purchase a property at all.

The findings take on added significance in light of climate change projections. Larry Baeder, a data scientist with Milliman — the consulting firm that conducted the study on behalf of NRDC — warned of increasing risks, particularly in coastal regions like Southeast Georgia.

"I think it's clear that without action — not only to mitigate the impacts of climate change through [carbon] reductions, but actions to adapt — there's going to be a number of people who are buying homes that are going to be flooded and not know in the future just how much worse it can get," Baeder said.

The study highlights evidence that previously flooded homes are likely to experience flooding in the future, emphasizing the importance of disclosure requirements for informed home-buying decisions.