Event Description
Flash flooding isn’t new to Rhode Island Avenue NE or Ivy City residents whose basements historically flood, often with combined sewage overflow. But an August 2023 rainstorm made headlines when 10 pet dogs died at a local doggy daycare. Suddenly, the District’s tendency to flood—which had long impacted the city’s poorest communities—was headline news. Join us for this online program on Thursday, April 25 at 6 pm as we dive into flooding as an environmental justice issue. The land where Washington, DC is today was never a swamp, but it was built over creeks and pockets of wetland among rich farmland, including plantations. In 150 years of building, city planners fundamentally changed the topography of DC, visible and concealed. Tiber Creek, an iconic example, turned from stream to canal to buried sewer over the years—resulting in part of the city’s wastewater overflow issues, now being rectified by enormous public works like the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. But even as the city completes such projects, the ever-present threat of climate change looms over the District: major storms become more frequent and intense, leading to an increased risk of damaging floods and threats to infrastructure. This Earth Day, ask yourself: Who is most at risk of flooding in DC? Where in the city do local and federal governments invest funds to prevent flooding? What actions can we take today to prevent future flooding in the nation’s capital? Learn from our panel with research expertise, organizing histories, and lived experience about the history of rising waters in DC.

Attendance
Attendance: 50+ (virtual); the intended audience included historians, journalists, EJ scholars, community activists, and urban residents interested in learning about environmental justice hazards in the urban environment. While examples from this panel will focus on Washington, DC, the topics/hazards discussed can be found in urban areas across the nation and world.

Registration Link
https://events.humanitix.com/dchistorycenter-cft-flooding

Deadline to Register (in UTC-6)


Contact
Maren Orchard
morchard@dchistory.org

Organization
DC History Center
dchistory.org

Affiliations, if any