Despite storms, coastal life booming

Populations continue to grow even as sea levels rise, hurricanes strike

In this Sept. 13 photo, debris surrounds a destroyed structure in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, Fla. Rising sea levels and fierce storms have failed to stop relentless population growth along U.S. coasts in recent years, a new Associated Press analysis shows. - photo by Associated Press

W uscoastpic — In this Sept. 13 photo, debris surrounds a destroyed structure in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, Fla. Rising sea levels and fierce storms have failed to stop relentless population growth along U.S. coasts in recent years, a new Associated Press analysis shows. - photo by Associated Press

Rising sea levels and fierce storms have failed to stop relentless population growth along U.S. coasts in recent years, a new Associated Press analysis shows. The latest punishing hurricanes scored bull's-eyes on two of the country's fastest growing regions: coastal Texas around Houston and resort areas of southwest Florida.Nothing seems to curb America's appetite for life near the sea, especially in the warmer climates of the South. Coastal development destroys natural barriers such as islands and wetlands, promotes erosion and flooding, and positions more buildings and people in the path of future destruction, according to researchers and policy advisers who study hurricanes."History gives us a lesson, but we don't always learn from it," said Graham Tobin, a disaster researcher at the University of South Florida in Tampa.