How has your community been impacted by climate change?

We no longer have to look too far when we consider the impact of climate change; it is, quite literally, in our backyard. Locally, the Delaware & Raritan Canal routinely spills over its banks, into the surrounding communities and riverways. Local flood mitigation efforts failed with the intensity of storms like Hurricane Ida. That storm dumped about 10 inches of water in less than 4 hours, causing rapid rising of all waterways. The impact of flash flooding, and then the resulting flooding, was monumental.  My students and colleagues still have that memory, as we continue to deal with a frequency of intense storms that have followed. However, we do look to some of the changes that individuals can take: planning for emergencies, maintaining home mitigation, neighborhood clean-ups of watersheds, etc. As Andrea Wong  and Adriane Musacchio  have mentioned, our students feel passionately about taking action, and how each step they take can help work on the bigger problem. 

One of the local middle schools had major flooding during Ida. The water was about 2' deep in the halls of a school that isn't near rivers or streams.

Gas explosions occurred with frightening frequency -- the pressure on the natural gas pipes caused them to burst, and the firefighters were unable to reach most of these fires due to the deep water surrounding the structures. I live about 10 miles from this fire & could feel the explosion.

The water was raging about 8 feet higher than where it is in this video. This county road was impassable for several days after Ida, and has closed repeatedly with "regular" (albeit more intense) storms. 

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When the damage is happening in our schools, it makes climate change real for our students.  It's unfortunate that it has to come to this but at least students are interested now and they certainly have a lot of questions. 

Yes, Todd Nussen , I think you are correct for all of us.

Yes, Todd Nussen , I think you are correct for all of us.

It's like politics. Too often, my students aren't really sure with what they are talking about politically but at least they're interested.