![]() ![]() ![]() “Everything for us is just about being resilient, but those things cost money, and you have to make sure that as part of your capital expenditure that you’re building that resiliency into your system.” And we’ve seen those high winds, especially those associated with many of these high lake levels, knock out power, and we’ve had to use our backup power as well,” he said. “(If) we don’t have power, we can’t do anything. But Oluwole “OJ” McFoy, the general manager of the Buffalo Sewer Water Authority, said it was a “nightmare scenario” for the city and a warning of how rising water levels could impact its water infrastructure. Thankfully, the plant has multiple backup sources, and the plant employees toughed out the storm, keeping the plant online and delivered clean water to residents. The blizzard and seiche flooding threatened to knock out power to Buffalo’s water treatment plant, located precariously along Lake Erie. ![]() The high winds from the storm generated a phenomenon known as a “ seiche,” in which water from the west end of Lake Erie near Toledo was pushed east, creating high water levels and coastal flooding in Buffalo. It basically happened last year.Ī devastating winter storm dropped more than 50 inches of snow on the city in December, knocking out power, making roads impassable and killing 46 people in the area. John Normile/Getty Imagesīuffalo water officials don’t have to wonder too hard about its worst-case scenario. Lake Erie water slams onto the shore during a winter storm on December 23, 2022, in Hamburg, New York. To better understand the issue, CNN examined five cities or regions across the country that show signs of vulnerability under a rapidly warming planet – from coastal flooding in New York to saltwater intrusion in California’s groundwater. “Federal investments account for just a few percent of the total needs,” Olson said. In Jackson alone, it could cost $1 billion to $2 billion to repair the water system, and the water industry estimates that the total nationwide costs will top $1 trillion. But experts say those figures are not enough to make up for decades of disinvestment and mismanagement across the country. The 2021 infrastructure legislation signed by President Joe Biden includes about $30 billion for drinking water, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act another $550 million for water infrastructure. And climate change-fueled extreme weather disasters promises a gauntlet of even tougher tests. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s drinking water infrastructure a C-minus in its 2021 report card. “And our outdated system is completely unprepared for this century’s challenges of intense heat, drought and flooding.” “America’s water system relies on last century’s infrastructure that often can’t protect our health from hazardous contaminants,” Olson told CNN. In a record year of catastrophes, FEMA's disaster fund is slipping into the red before hurricane season even peaksĪt the rate our climate is changing, America’s water infrastructure is not equipped to handle the challenges to come, said Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health and food with the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Joe Raedle/Getty Images With the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1, FEMA and NOAA officials spoke to the media and encouraged people to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 31: FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell addresses the media from the National Hurricane Center on in Miami, Florida. ![]()
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