Australia’s Worst Floods in Decades Quicken Concerns About Climate Change

A recent New York Times article highlights the massive storms that have converged over Australia in recent days, dumping three feet of rain in five days and forcing nearly 20,000 people to evacuate-- only a year after the country experienced its largest wildfires in recorded history. 

In Windsor, Australia, the new Windsor Bridge, which had recently been opened as a "flood-proof" replacement for an older bridge, was completely underwater. 

"It was built 10 feet higher than the bridge it replaced, but the river flowed over it as if it did not exist. A red flashing light on the top of a buried yellow excavator offered the only hint of the old bridge, or what had once been solid ground," according to the article.

In addition to highlighting the need for resilient infrastructure, incidents such as these underscore the need for us to face the realities of climate change, leveraging the best available science in planning and construction decisions. 

Australia’s Worst Floods in Decades Quicken Concerns About Climate Change, New York Times