Denise and Steve are two retired professionals who are very
involved in climate work. They were wonderful hosts. Over a delicious breakfast
in their home, we got to talking about local climate-related impacts in their
community. At the talk the night before, we heard mentions of increased
flooding in the area. Well, this morning Steve and Denise elaborated. In the
past 10 years, the area has experienced extreme rainfall which has led to
100-year flooding events.
Steve and Denise told us about the homes in their community
that have been swept away as the river has flooded. Steve’s medical practice,
which he built high above the flood plain, was ruined several times over just
10 years by flooding. As an MD, a lot of important equipment and paperwork was
ruined. Over breakfast, Denise offered to take us on a tour of the town to show
us the areas that have been hit by flooding. We saw one empty lot where a home
was lost to erosion, and another home which has a river increasingly
encroaching on the property. In one rain event, the home owners left the doors
open as the the river flowed right through the living room! When you look at
the river, it looks like a small creek. But it has become increasingly
ferocious during rain events. Check out one of our film clips from the morning
tour below!
We got a lot of great footage thanks to a tour by Denise.
After this, we had a long drive as we approached our last few days of driving
until the east coast. We drove for about 6 hours, and spent the night somewhere
off the highway. Last night in Lakewood,
Ohio, marked our last scheduled climate talk before reaching the east coast. It
was a celebration to have completed our northern leg of climate talks!
Click here to learn more about "On the Road for Climate
Action!"
Athina Simolaris, M.A.
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