Of Floods and our Future

Pennsylvania has always experienced floods, but climate change is intensifying storms and rainfall. Early settlers called the state’s first big floods "pumpkin floods" because they washed away pumpkins along riverbanks, yet today’s storms are far more destructive due to deforestation, urbanization and extreme weather. This post explains how warming temperatures increase evaporation and heavier downpours and urges us to reduce carbon pollution, restore wetlands and forests, and implement better planning to protect people and communities from future floods.