When a community already knows where flooding is likely to occur, at what point does repeated disaster stop being only a weather story and become a stewardship story?

What I Noticed

West Virginia prepared a statewide flood-protection plan in 2004. After devastating flooding in 2016, it created a resiliency office partly responsible for keeping that plan current. Yet major recommendations, dependable funding, and implementation mechanisms remained incomplete as damaging floods continued.

What It Makes Me Wonder

What is the practical difference between having a plan and stewarding a place according to one? Who was supposed to act, what prevented action, what costs were deferred, and what evidence should the public expect to see before the next storm?

Source Article to Read

To read the article in Mountain State Spotlight’s July 29 investigation, click: “Deadly flooding in West Virginia finds prevention plans unaddressed.” 

Stewardship Way Virtual Field Trip

Every day I take a virtual field trip through the news searching for stories that help us better understand the stewardship of places. Most simply go into my Notice Moment Reserve. Occasionally one makes me stop, notice, and ponder. This is one of those stories.

I don’t share these to tell you what to think. I share them because they raise questions worth asking. I invite you to read the original article and come wander and wonder with me.