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Smeaton's Bridge
Perth, Scotland

Smeaton's Bridge

Several bricks indicate the various flood levels this crossing has survived over the centuries.
A condemned Onion Creek house awaiting demolition
Austin, Texas

Ghost Streets of Onion Creek

An entire subdivision was accidentally built on a flood plain, resulting in its eventual demolition—but the streets are still there.
floods

Washington's 'Washaway Beach' Experiment Is Reshaping Ideas About Coastal Erosion

In 2016, a concerned local dropped $400 worth of rock on a vanishing beach to see what would happen. Now engineers are watching, too.
Sarah Trent February 13, 2023
Beavers have human-like hands and tails that scientists believe can register changes in water pressure.
floods

Does This Silly-Looking Animal Have a Solution to Climate Change?

Beavers can reshape the North American ecosystem—if we let them.
Shoshi Parks January 31, 2023
The town of Selsey, on a peninsula called Manhood in England, was an island or peninsula at various times in history, and has often contended with flooding. In the far distance, behind the town, lies Medmerry Nature Reserve.
floods

This English Town Is Letting the Sea Have Its Way

The coastal community of Selsey welcomes the return of salt marshes where farms once stood.
Erica Gies June 20, 2022
Koshi Barrage
Bhardaha, Nepal

Koshi Barrage

This structure, built more than 60 years ago to manage devastating seasonal floods, is known to attract a rare species of freshwater dolphin.
Heavy rains and wind turned the usually featureless Salar de Uyuni salt flats into a riot of color in late January 2022.
floods

Wild Weather Has Turned Bolivia's Salt Flats Into a Work of Art

A satellite captures the stunning effects of heavy rain and high winds on a landscape that—coincidentally—is used to calibrate satellites.
Gemma Tarlach March 10, 2022
curious denizens
Nashville, Tennessee

8th Avenue Reservoir

In 1912, a broken section of the reservoir wall released millions of gallons of water and destroyed many homes downhill.
West Boylston, Massachusetts

Old Stone Church

The only surviving building of historic West Boylston, which was flooded to create the Wachusett Reservoir.
The FLOAT House
New Orleans, Louisiana

FLOAT House

An architectural experiment in the Lower Ninth Ward, this row house is capable of floating as high as the Katrina floodwaters.
After heavy rains, spiderwebs covered part of Gippsland like a glinting blanket.
floods

Spiders Covered Australian Shores With a Massive, Gossamer Blanket

The ghostly sight tells a story of escape, survival, and a post-flood feast.
Jessica Leigh Hester June 25, 2021
The entrance to the Mine
Daroca, Spain

La Mina de Daroca

This tunnel was built in order to protect the village of Daroca from flash floods during rainy seasons.
A 15th-century painting illustrates the miracle of San Frediano diverting the Serchio River in Tuscany in the sixth century, a local legend that endures in the region even today.
floods

Did Climate Change Cause a Flood of Water Miracles by Italian Saints?

Researchers link a wet period in Tuscany's past with a rise in tales of water-related works of amazement.
Sofia Quaglia April 23, 2021
In November 2019, water breached the basilica.
floods

How Can a Basilica Stay Dry Amid Venice's Rising Waters?

The race is on to save St. Mark's—and its marble—from damaging, salty floodwaters.
Rebecca Ann Hughes April 20, 2021
An Australian galah, also known as the pink and grey cockatoo, is examined in the mobile hospital.
disasters

How a Vet Hospital on Wheels Rescued Australian Wildlife During Floods

Injured birds, bats, echidnas, and more got some TLC during a disaster.
Winnie Lee March 29, 2021
The flood swept through town, killing several people and destroying buildings and bridges.
Devon, England

Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall

A massive flood devastated this seaside town, causing many to speculate about whether the government had figured out how to influence the weather.
disasters

Podcast: Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team March 22, 2021
A male giraffe, Lbarnoti, was rescued from flooded Kenyan rangeland using a custom barge and some patient training.
floods

The Great Kenyan Giraffe Rescue

It took a custom-built barge and a whole lot of patience to get these rare animals off a shrinking island.
Winnie Lee February 16, 2021