The Rivers Are A-Risin'

As of 3/22/08

As predicted

The first time I saw an EarthChanges map, something inside me clicked. A recognition of truth, if you will. Over the years, I've held steady in the conviction that the U.S. will physically change dramatically in my lifetime. When I saw the first image above in a news story a couple of weeks ago (days before my 40th birthday), I was struck by how obvious it is that these changes are already visibly happening.

The second image above comes from the I Am America map, which predicts less drastic changes than some Maps of the Future. Whether or not any of the predictions are completely correct, the fact that large parts of the U.S. have been flooding and continue to flood is inescapable. Those who do not heed the warnings that sounded loudly when Hurricane Katrina struck can only plead stupidity, in my opinion. MOVE AWAY!

When my husband and I first started discussing buying a home, and again when we considered moving out West, these maps gave proof that we are currently living in one of the more stable areas of the country. We've already seen an increase in the flooding in our area, but our home is situated in a high area topologically. There are no large bodies of water nearby, and we have been working diligently on redirecting runoff to work to our advantage.

In an area where manufacturing jobs have been dwindling, business is booming at my husband's workplace. His company produces pumps and basins for municipal and residential use worldwide. Rumors that they are going out of business are met with a hearty laugh in our household. Only engineers working to hurriedly build levees are busier right now.

If I seem a bit smug, it's only because I believe that knowledge is an important tool, one that we have been putting to good use in making decisions that affect our very survival. With some knowledge and preparation, many "disasters" need not ever happen. Human beings need to quit arguing about whether things like global warming are real and start reacting to the events around them as though their survival depended on it. The rivers are a-rising!