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Chinadialogue | November 3, 2014

Flooded streets on a daily basis are more than just a scary future scenario for many cities along the US East Coast. In Norfolk, Virginia, they are the reality today. In the neighborhoods around Myrtle Park where the Lafayette River forms a U shaped bay, residents regularly report that they can see fish swimming in the street curbs.

So when the Union of Concerned Scientists released its recent report on the expected increase in tidal floods in 52 cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, this was hardly a surprise for Skip Stiles, a Norfolk resident and director of the non-profit Wetlands Watch. “Just this summer, there were four occasions on which the city had to basically shut down until the water had drained off the land. Kids couldn’t get to school and you couldn’t make it from one side to the other.” — Read more