Published Sep 2021
<div><strong>Climate change is causing larger and more frequent weather disasters. </strong><br />Floods are the most frequent and costly in the United States, causing $17 billion annually in damages between 2010 and 2018—and experts predict damages will double by 2051. How should we respond?<br />Climate change expert Bill Becker argues we should not respond by building more flood-control structures like dams, levees, and seawalls. That was the policy of the last century. The nation#&39;s 92,000 dams and 30,000 miles of levees are aging and insufficient to stop the floods we see today. More than 100 million Americans are now at risk.<br /><em>The Creeks Will Rise: People Coexisting with Floods</em> makes a compelling case that we must begin collaborating with nature. Wherever possible, communities should help flood-prone families move to safer places. We should return the land to rivers and oceans and restore the wetlands, coastal marshes, and other ecosystems that provide natural flood protection.<br />Becker writes from experience. He helped move a flood-prone community to higher ground forty years ago. He has since worked with scores of flooded communities to help them plan their recoveries.<br /><strong>We must collaborate with nature rather than trying to control it.</strong></div>
