What a Biblical-Style Flood Could Mean for Washington, D.C.

It's amazing that with a 97 percent scientific consensus on human-caused climate change we still have politicians talking smack about its importance. Will their tune change at all, one wonders, once the flood waters are lapping at the base of the federal government?

This mapping tool can't answer that question, but it does give an indication of what a climate-enraged flood could mean for Washington, D.C. And to believe the folks at Climate Central, the independent group that created it with government data, such an epic dousing is nigh. They say the city will "likely see a record flood before mid-century," meaning one that would measure 8 feet above the high-tide level in the Tidal Basin. Such a deluge could endanger more than 1,000 homes and three military facilities, by their estimation, as well as possibly spreading contamination from many sewage-treatment sites and facilities that deal with hazardous materials.