Tag: weather

creativity

A Call to Action: Building Resilience in the Face of Flooding

Christa Avampato
The Mississippi River regularly floods in Davenport, Iowa. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

The recent, heartbreaking floods in Texas have served as a stark reminder of nature’s raw power and the ravaging impact it can have on our communities. Along the Guadalupe River, the water rose 26 feet in less than an hour. I’m devastated seeing all of those who are affected by the loss of life, homes, and livelihoods.

Texas, particularly regions like “flash flood alley,” is inherently susceptible to rapid and severe flooding due to its unique topography and intense rainfall events. When large volumes of rain fall quickly on dry, compacted soil, the water has nowhere to go but to rush across the surface, swelling rivers and overwhelming infrastructure.

While we cannot control the weather, we can learn from these events and take proactive steps to mitigate future flooding risks, working with nature, not against it. So, what can we do, as individuals and communities, to better coexist with the forces of nature and reduce the impact of these catastrophic events?

Embracing Nature-Based Solutions

Many effective flood mitigation strategies involve working in harmony with our natural environment. These “green infrastructure” approaches often offer multiple benefits beyond just flood control:

  • Protecting and Restoring Wetlands and Floodplains: These natural sponges are crucial for absorbing excess water, slowing its flow, and filtering pollutants. Preserving and restoring these vital ecosystems can significantly reduce downstream flooding.
  • Creating Rain Gardens and Bioswales: In urban and suburban areas, these beautifully designed landscape features use plants and specially engineered soils to capture and slowly release stormwater runoff, preventing it from overwhelming drainage systems.
  • Promoting Permeable Surfaces: Swapping out concrete and asphalt for permeable pavers or gravel allows rainwater to infiltrate the ground naturally, reducing surface runoff and recharging groundwater supplies.
  • Planting Trees and Vegetation: Trees and other plants help absorb rainfall, reduce soil erosion, and stabilize banks along rivers and streams. Their root systems create pathways for water to penetrate the soil, further reducing runoff.
  • Implementing Riparian Buffers: Establishing vegetated zones along waterways helps to slow floodwaters, trap sediment, and improve water quality, creating healthier aquatic ecosystems.

Community-Wide Efforts and Individual Actions

Beyond nature-based solutions, broader efforts and individual preparedness are essential:

  • Improved Flood Warning Systems: Timely and effective communication is paramount. Communities need robust warning systems that reach everyone in flood-prone areas, especially during the critical overnight hours.
  • Responsible Land Use Planning: Developing in harmony with natural floodplains, rather than building in high-risk areas, is crucial. This includes updating zoning laws and building codes to promote resilient construction.
  • Investing in Infrastructure: While nature offers powerful solutions, traditional “gray infrastructure” like detention basins, levees, and improved drainage systems also play a vital role, especially in existing developed areas.
  • Individual Preparedness: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” remains a critical message. Knowing your flood risk, having an emergency plan, securing important documents, and considering flood insurance are vital steps for everyone.

The recent events in Texas are a solemn reminder that we must prioritize flood resilience. By understanding the natural processes that lead to flooding and implementing strategies that work with, rather than against, nature, we can build stronger, safer communities for generations to come.

Let’s all commit to being better stewards of our environment and more prepared neighbors in the face of nature’s challenges. Additionally, we must hold every single one of our elected officials responsible for doing the same by voting and calling their offices regularly to voice our concerns.

creativity

How the brown ocean effect changes everything we know about hurricanes

Christa Avampato
This satellite image shows Hurricane Ida bearing down on the Gulf Coast in 2021, a storm fed by the brown ocean effect. Image from NOAA.

When Helene devastated North Carolina, it had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. (Sustained wind speed alone is what determines the type and category of a storm.) North Carolina didn’t get the eye of the storm either. That didn’t matter. What devastated North Carolina was the amount and rate of rainfall. 

The mountains of western North Carolina were thought to be as climate proof as a place could be. 350 miles from the coast. Over 2,000 feet above sea level. Helene showed us a dangerous aspect of storms that means there are no more climate havens — the brown ocean effect. 

Hurricanes become especially dangerous when they can spend extended periods of time over warm water. Conventional thinking and history have shown us that when a hurricane reaches land, the land dissipates its strength and the storm, eventually, fizzles. This is why coasts have historically been in greater danger that inland areas. The brown ocean effect changes that. 

When land is warm and saturated with water, as happened in Western North Carolina, it acts as something akin to ocean. While it doesn’t typically kick up the wind speed of a storm like Helene, it provides an excess of moisture and heat. Because the ground is saturated, the massive amount of rain can’t be absorbed. This leads to flooding and landslides. The devastation, loss of life, and high number of missing people in Western North Carolina caused by Helene is partially from the brown ocean effect. The heavy rains dumped on saturated land ravaged everything in their path from houses to infrastructure to power and communication lines. There is even footage of a casket unearthed from a cemetery and carried away by the rushing water. 

The brown ocean effect can happen anywhere there’s land. As rains become heavier and more frequent from climate change and global warming, it can take hold in many more places. Every land mass can provide ocean-like fuel for a storm. 

At the time of this writing, Hurricane Milton is barreling toward Florida. It’s a Category 5 with winds at 180 miles per hour, spinning over the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Stronger than Hurricane Katrina. Even if it weakens, it still has all that water in it that it will drop when it hits land. Also, weakening in this case may be every bit as devastating as wind because it may slow down and pick up even more moisture from the Gulf. The land in Florida is already saturated, as the land in North Carolina was before Helene arrived. It’s a frightening alignment of circumstances. 

On Monday night I watched hurricane specialist John Morales get choked up on air giving the news update on Milton becoming a Category 5. These storms are no longer once-in-a-century, once-in-a-lifetime, and perhaps not even once-in-a-season. This may now be our new normal that is anything but normal.

creativity

Joy today: Enduring winter

Christa Avampato

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Photo taken by Christa Avampato of Honschar’s street art on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Please include this attribution when using.

Dear ones, on freeeeezing days like today (windchill in NYC was 4 degrees this morning!) I make some hot beverages, hunker down at home, and engage in creative work as I dream of spring. How do you endure? (H/t Honschar for his inspiring street art.)

 

creativity

Wonder: Snowcrew.org

Christa Avampato

I’m happily snowed into my adorable, cozy apartment this weekend. Plenty of delicious food, lots of creative projects brewing, and, of course, my sweet dog, Phineas. I’m lucky and I know it. Many are not. If you have a desire to get some exercise and help a neighbor manage through the blizzard this weekend and once it’s all over, check out Snowcrew.org. You can volunteer to help dig out neighbors in your city and even right in your neighborhood. If you need help getting your sidewalk or steps shoveled, you can request help right on the site, too. Grab a shovel, lend a hand, and warm a heart. Let’s get through this together!

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Snowcrew.org