Coastal cities’ growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by both climate change and unbridled population growth

Many hurricane-prone Gulf Coast communities, like Fort Myers, Fla., have grown quickly in recent years. AP Photo/Steve Helber

Warm water in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico can fuel powerful hurricanes, but how destructive a storm becomes isn’t just about the climate and weather – it also depends on the people and property in harm’s way.

In many coastal cities, fast population growth has left more people living in areas at high risk of flooding.