A FIRST
LOOK
TONIGHT AT THE
%COST OF
CLIMATE
CHANGE.
%IF YOU'VE
TRAVELED,
VISITED OR
%LIVED
IN
NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN%OVER
THE
PAST
SEVERAL
YEARS,
%YOU'VE SEEN
DESTROYED ROADS
AND
%HIGHWAYS,
RUINED
HARBORS,
%DAMAGED HOMES
AND
EVEN
%FATALITIES.
%THIS IS
THE RESULT
OF
REPEATED%TORRENTIAL RAIN AND
FLOODING
%EVENTS, AND
LOCALS
IN
THAT
PART%OF
THE
STATE
CONTINUE
TO
%STRUGGLE
TO
REBUILD
%INFRASTRUCTURE.
%TONIGHT,
WE TAKE
A
DEEP
DIVE
%INTO THE ISSUE
STARTING WITH
%REPORTING FROM
OUR
PARTNERS
AT
%WISCONTEXT.
%JOURNALIST WILL
CUSHMAN
TRAVELED
%THE
REGION.
%THANKS A LOT FOR BEING
HERE.%>>
THANKS FOR
HAVING
ME.
%>>
SO
THESE
WERE
EVENTS
FROM
%2012, 2016
AND 2018.
%WHAT
COUNTIES
SUFFERED?%>>
RIGHT.
%IT'S SEVEN COUNTIES
IN
NORTHWEST
%WISCONSIN THAT WOULD
BE
DOUGLAS
%COUNTY WHICH
INCLUDES
SUPERIOR%AS WELL AS
BAYFIELD
AND
ASHLAND
%AND
IRON
COUNTIES,
AND
THEN
A
%LITTLE BIT FARTHER TO
THE
SOUTH,
%SAWYER,
WASHBURN
AND
BURNETT
%COUNTIES.%>>
SO
WAS
NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN
%HIT
HARDER
THAN
OTHER
REGIONS?%>>
THAT'S A
REALLY GOOD QUESTION
%AND I
THINK
PEOPLE
ALL OVER
THE
%STATE
WHO
HAVE
DEALT
WITH
FLASH
%FLOODS ALSO
ASKED
THAT
QUESTION.
%THE
THING
THAT'S
DIFFERENT
IN
%NORTHWESTERN
WISCONSIN IS THAT
%THESE FLOODS HAVE
BEEN
REPEATED,
%AS YOU
SAID,
THERE'S ONE
BIG ONE
%THAT
HIT
SUPERIOR
PRETTY
BADLY
%IN
2012,
AND
THEN 2016
AND 2018.%>>
NOW,
THESE
EVENTS
ARE
%DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THIS PART
OF
%THE STATE
OR
ANY
PART OF THE
%STATE HAS
SEEN IN
THE
PAST, IS%THAT
RIGHT?%>>
YEAH,
UNPRECEDENTED
RAINFALL
%IN
SOME
LOCATIONS FROM
ALL OF
%THE FLOODS.
%THE 2016
FLOOD
WAS
PARTICULARLY
%BAD IN
SOME
REGIONS.
%THE BAD
RIVER WHICH
DRAINS
A
%LARGE
PART
OF
NORTHERN
WISCONSIN
%INTO LAKE SUPERIOR
REACHED%RECORD
LEVELS
THAT
WERE 50%
%BEYOND
THE
PREVIOUS
RECORD,
JUST
%A
HUGE
1,000-YEAR FLOOD
THERE.%>>
SO
WHAT
WERE THE
COSTS OF
%THIS?%>> IN
THE TENS
OF
MILLIONS.
%JUST
TO
PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE%ALONE.
%SO
IN
2016,
THAT
ESTIMATE
WAS
AT
%ABOUT $38 MILLION
TO
PUBLIC%INFRASTRUCTURE.
%THE 2018 STORM
CAUSED
AN
%ESTIMATED
ABOUT $13 MILLION AND
%THEN
MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS
MORE
IN%2012.%>>
INTERESTINGLY, YOUR
REPORTING
%SHOWS
THAT
HIGHWAY
%INFRASTRUCTURE IN THAT PART OF
%THE
STATE HAS
BEEN
HISTORICALLY
%UNDERBUILT.
%WHAT IS THAT
ABOUT?%>>
YEAH,
I
THOUGHT THAT
WAS
%PRETTY
FASCINATING PART
OF
THIS
%REPORTING.
%SO
HIGHWAY
ENGINEERS
USE
LIKE
A
%100-YEAR
STORM
STANDARD
OFTEN
TO
%SIZE
CULVERTS,
WHICH
ARE
THE
%PIPES
THAT RUN
STREAMS
%UNDERNEATH ROADS
AT
STREAM
%CROSSINGS.%NOT
ALL
HIGHWAY
ENGINEERS
DO
%THAT
BUT
THAT'S
KIND OF
THE
%COMMON
STANDARD,
SO
THEY WERE
%USING,
UP IN
THE
REGION
AND
%EVERYWHERE ELSE IN
THE
COUNTRY,
%STANDARDS THAT WERE
DEVELOPED IN
%THE
MID
20TH
CENTURY
FROM
%PRESCRIPTION DATA FROM THE
!
PRECIPITATION DATA.
%THAT
MADE
OFFICIALS
REALIZE THAT
%THEY WERE
REALLY
UNDERESTIMATING%THE SIZE
OF
STORMS
SO,
%THEREFORE,
THE
INFRASTRUCTURE IN
%PARTICULAR THE
CULVERTS
WERE
%WOEFULLY INADEQUATE FOR SOME OF
%THESE
REALLY
MAJOR
STORMS THAT
%WE'RE NOW
SEEING.%>>
MEANWHILE, ONE OFFICIAL SAID
%IN
YOUR REPORT
THAT
THERE
IS
%SIMPLY
NO
MONEY
FOR
THIS.
%WHY IS
THAT?%>>
YEAH,
I
TALKED
TO
TOWNSHIP
%AND
COUNTY
OFFICIALS
ALL OVER
%THE REGION
AND
THEY
ALL
SAID
%THEY
DON'T
HAVE
ENOUGH
MONEY.
%SOME
TOWNSHIPS
SAW
DAMAGE
THAT
%COST, FROM
A
SINGLE
STORM, MORE
%THAN
THEIR
ENTIRE
ANNUAL
BUDGET,
%AND THEN I
TALKED
TO
OFFICIALS
%IN
DOUGLAS
COUNTY
WHO
ALSO
%BLAMED
STATE
IMPOSED
LEVY
%FREEZES THAT HAVE
BEEN
ONGOING
%FOR YEARS
NOW, AS WELL AS
THE
%OPIOID
CRISIS.
%IN
RECENT
YEARS,
DOUGLAS COUNTY
%HAS HAD
TO
TRANSFER
HUNDREDS OF
%THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS OUT OF
ITS
%HIGHWAY BUDGET TO
COVER
THE
COST%OF THE
CRISIS.%>>
WOW.
%GREAT
REPORTING.
%WILL
CUSHMAN, THANKS VERY
MUCH.%>>
THANKS
SO
MUCH.%>>
YOU
CAN
READ
WILL'S
FULL
%REPORT
TITLED
"WASHED
AWAY,
%NORTHWEST WISCONSIN COPES WITH%
THE COSTS
OF
A
CHANGING
%CLIMATE," BY
GOING