Heavy rains caused record floods in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota, surpassing previous records.
Floodwaters collapsed a key railroad bridge and forced evacuations from hospitals and care facilities.
The region experienced extreme rain rates, with predictions of continued flooding as rivers crest.
Key quote:
“Businesses are shuttered, main streets have been impacted. Hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities were evacuated.”
— Kim Reynolds, Governor of Iowa
Why this matters:
The intense flooding disrupts essential services, endangering residents and infrastructure. Climate change is intensifying weather patterns and making extreme events more frequent and severe. For scientists and policymakers, these floods are a clarion call to accelerate efforts in climate adaptation and infrastructure modernization to better protect vulnerable communities.
"Population growth and the growth of cities means we're replacing vegetation with cement, and that's where a long-standing problem in Brazil comes into play: lots of building on high-risk areas."
