This is part of a new series called “Extreme Living: Climate Disruption Stories,” where we share stories from Moms members about family life in an age of extremes. Read stories about wildfire smoke here and about extreme heat here.
About 13 years ago, I was working just over a mile from my home, in the town I have lived in most of my life. One rainy afternoon, there was a commotion at the office. Everyone had gathered at the windows facing the back parking lot. It was pouring, and the parking lot had flooded nearly a foot deep—in no time at all—we’re talking minutes. I’d seen a few inches of water pooled on local roads in heavy storms before, but never anything like this and never so quickly.
Back then, I usually walked to work, but I needed to drive to pick up my farm share that afternoon. My car was wet but unscathed in a higher lot in front of the building, and—completely failing to read the handwriting on the wall—I decided, weather be damned, I was going to pick up my vegetables. It’s a 15 minute drive, but I ended up in traffic for hours. The local highway was flooded. Cars were backed up for miles. It was a nightmare. And no, I didn’t make it to the farm that day.
Photos of the commuter parking lot in the middle of town covered in more than a foot of water circulated on Twitter. Cars were damaged, basements were flooded. And one child, who had been playing near a neighborhood creek, reportedly drowned in a flash flood.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress
They called it a “100-year storm” in the news, but it’s not lost on me that the commuter lot—which I didn’t recall ever flooding before—has flooded once or twice in supercharged rainfall since then. These storms are getting more frequent, not just in my town but across the country. Here are a few stories of flooding we collected from our Moms members:
Jayne Black, Wisconsin
“As a mom of four children, one with asthma and one with multiple sclerosis, it has become necessary to understand the health impacts of flooding and my children’s health. On June 30, 2024, the Wisconsin Governor’s office declared a state of emergency after several rounds of storms hit the state from June 21 to June 25. The storms caused widespread tree and structural damage, road washouts, power outages, and flooding.
“Flooding is especially scary because it can cause respiratory and related allergic health effects due to dampness and mold, and flood waters often contain a variety of contaminants. In some cases, floods can overwhelm a region’s drainage or wastewater treatment systems, increasing the risk of exposure to bacteria, parasites, and other unhealthy pollutants. Extreme weather from climate change always has public health impacts that are extremely important to know—especially for parents of children with health concerns.”
Brooke Petry, Pennsylvania
“For myself and my fellow Philadelphians, it’s easy to call to mind the scenes that we awoke to on the morning of September 2, 2021. In the wake of Hurricane Ida, huge swaths of our city—including the expressway—were underwater. Many of us had spent significant time in our slowly flooding basements the evening before—taking cover during tornado warnings—another unusual occurrence in our city!
“Public transit was halted. Students—having just returned to in-person school for the first time since the pandemic hit—endured a chaotic morning as the scope of the flooding and damage became clear and a school delay was belatedly announced. Classes went back to virtual for the following day as entire neighborhoods remained underwater and roads impassable. Years later, the effects of this flooding are still being felt by the community members who lost loved ones or their homes or businesses.”
Lucia Valentine, West Virginia
“Growing up in West Virginia along the Potomac River, I have experienced firsthand the rise in flood frequency and intensity. With West Virginia being one of the wettest states, ranked 17th, and one of the most at-risk states for flood disasters, there is no question that the flood pattern changes are linked to climate change.”
Elizabeth Hauptman, Michigan
“As a mom in Michigan, witnessing the increasing frequency of extreme weather and flooding, I feel a deep sense of urgency to transition to 100% clean, pollution-free climate and energy solutions. Each flooding event not only disrupts our lives but poses serious health risks, particularly for our children. Respiratory illnesses, waterborne diseases, and mental health challenges are on the rise with each flood and tornado, and more severe thunderstorms are highlighting the dire need for immediate action.”
Michelle Uberuaga, Montana
“We live in a wild and special place just north of Yellowstone National Park, on the longest undammed river in the lower 48. My family is a part of a community where people are intimately connected with our wild backyard. Like most Montanans, we are impacted by floods, low water supply in our rivers, and the health of our wildlife.
“Living on a river has new risks associated with our changing climate. If the snow in the mountains melts too fast, the rivers flood. In 2022, we experienced massive floods as a result of a rain-on-snow event that caused millions of dollars of damages to our community and our economy. Now, in 2024, the snowpack is scarily low, and we are worried about fires.”
Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of unprecedented flooding following torrential storms along the East Coast from Vermont to New York. Much of the damage has been cleared or repaired, but as Brooke in Pennsylvania says of her 2021 experience, “the effects are still being felt by community members.” And we’re all continuing to brace for the next unexpected superstorm heading our way.
Want to feel a little more prepared? Read our Flooding 101 fact sheet.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress