More than 17 million people along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts face the highest risk of flooding impacts, according to a comprehensive study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. The research identified an additional 17 million people at high risk, the second-highest category.

University of Alabama researchers analyzed 16 factors including geographic hazards, population exposure, infrastructure vulnerability, and social characteristics of affected communities. The team incorporated Federal Emergency Management Agency damage data and applied artificial intelligence tools to assess flood risks from Texas to Maine.

New York City emerged as the most exposed metropolitan area, with 4.75 million people at the two highest risk levels and more than 200,000 buildings potentially vulnerable to damage. While New Orleans has fewer people at risk at approximately 380,000, this represents 99 percent of the city's population.

Other significantly threatened cities include Jacksonville, Florida, with 679,000 people at high or very high risk, and Houston, Texas, with just under 600,000. The study also highlighted Miami, Norfolk, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Mobile, Alabama as facing substantial flood threats.

For extreme flooding events classified as the top 1 percent most severe, researchers found 4.3 million people at the highest risk level and 20.5 million at high risk. The study noted that elderly, poor, and other socially vulnerable populations face disproportionate risks during flood events.

The research distinguished itself from previous studies by incorporating factors such as land subsidence, impervious surfaces that prevent water absorption, and social vulnerability indicators including poverty and age demographics. Study authors recommended that local officials consider natural infrastructure solutions like wetlands and rain gardens alongside traditional flood control measures.