In a Small Iowa Town, a Solution to a National Crisis
5/1/202618 min
As a new flood season approaches, many Americans remain haunted by the last. Families across the country are still in mourning months after the waters receded from places like the Texas Hill Country, where a flash flood on the Guadalupe River in July left at least 135 people dead, many of them children.
There is a way for communities to prepare for future floods and try to limit their damage. The producer Jillian Weinberger went to a small town in Iowa to meet a mayor who discovered how effective one solution can be in a crisis. As the Trump administration leaves communities to fend for themselves, one state has a model that could help us all as the waters rise.
Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker, Isaac Jones, Carole Sabouraud and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to David Leonhardt and Derek Arthur.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Jillian Weinberger· Host0:15
[upbeat music] This is The Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.
David Leonhardt· Host0:26
[upbeat music] I'm David Leonhardt of New York Times Opinion. I work on our editorial board, where we spend a lot of time talking about the country's biggest challenges. Last summer, one of my colleagues became a little obsessed with one problem in particular, flash flooding. Climate change is increasing the number of floods, just as President Trump is cutting government programs that help communities deal with those floods. It doesn't have to be this way. Even if the president doesn't undo his cuts, and he should, my colleague, Gillian Weinberger, set out to find out whether other people can make a difference in the meantime, and she discovered that the answer is yes. She found a place that has taken steps to save money and, more importantly, save lives. Gillian found a rare thing in America in 2026, an inspiring story about the government doing something