Hurricane!

NOAA says that population growth in areas prone to natural disasters on both U.S. coasts is making hurricanes, landslides and other natural disasters more expensive.

More than half of all Americans live on or near the nation's coastal areas, and the number is growing, posing a challenge for emergency management officials in the event of hurricanes, tsunamis and other natural disasters, federal officials said Tuesday.

Coastal area growth also poses environmental and economic challenges to local governments, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report on coastal population trends.

Whether it's tsunamis on the West Coast or hurricanes and other storms in the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, rising populations complicate evacuations and make emergency response more complex, officials said.