US: NYC helps upstate towns prepare for future floods

As the catastrophic flooding from Irene and Lee exposed planning gaps in small towns, a relationship with New York City was developed in order to bring top-level expertise and millions of dollars in construction cash to towns crisscrossed by flood-prone creeks, reports The Wall Street Journal.

"With climate change, as floods become more frequent and severe in New York state, communities with ongoing efforts that build flood response and education into their daily operations will be more resilient than those that do not," said Elizabeth Higgins, program coordinator for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program.