14 Med cities risk repeated flooding

Climate change, erosion, population growth and spreading urbanization put 14 Mediterranean port cities and 1.5 million people at risk of repeated floods and 30 billion euros in damages, according to a recent Program for the Prevention Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-Made Disasters (PPRD South) report. Rising temperatures and sea levels, increased storms and erosion are putting coastal cities at risk of 1-100 yearly floods, according to the PPRD report. Those most exposed to the danger are Alexandria, with 1.3 million of its inhabitants at risk), followed by Istanbul, Benghazi, Casablanca, Smyrna, Algiers, Rabat, Beirut, Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, Barcelona, Tripoli, Athens, Naples and Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Populations at risk in these cities could triple by 2070, warned the report, which was commissioned by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The PPRD South is a European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) program.