"That means coastal cities will face more severe storms, not ending up submerged. [2]" How does that work? Coastal cities will have more than half a meter more

"That means coastal cities will face more severe storms, not ending up submerged. [2]" How does that work? Coastal cities will have more than half a meter more water to deal with and additionally have to face larger more powerful storm surges on top of those 50cm. Don't forget at certain times of the year we see stronger tides. I also wonder if in 2007, the IPCC were more optimistic about our ability to curb emissions and took into account some of the feedback looks which are kicking in?