Short Wave

Give Rivers Space: The Simple Flood Risk Fix

Jun 14, 2023 · 10 min · 10.1 MB
0:00-10:25

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With much of California's massive snowpack yet to melt, downstream communities remain on high alert for flooding. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged during the record-breaking winter, which tested the state's aging flood infrastructure. To prevent flooding, communities often raise levees next to rivers higher and higher. Today, NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer talks about a new approach: just giving rivers some space to flow.

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