FloodVision: Edge of America Tour

June 7, New Hampshire. The air in Portsmouth after a rain stays wet, as the clouds slowly dissipate. Thursday was a down day for Max and the FloodRover due to rapidly changing weather with a high chance of rain. The threatening rain ended up not arriving until the evening and Max didn’t want to risk the equipment encountering a downpour. But that did create an opportunity for Max to meet up with Jake Roche, the Northeast campaign manager for energy and environment at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Max and Jake met at Prescott Park, a garden oasis in Portsmouth  built on land that was filled in during the 1800s , next to   Strawbery Banke  , an area of historic homes and structures (some are 350 years old), and susceptible to flooding.

Jake Roche, Union of Concerned Scientists: I grew up in York, Maine, just across the river, and lived in Portsmouth for many years. I love Portsmouth. The worst floods I've seen in this area were this year. Right here in Prescott Park, we had record flooding in April. We were hit by a couple of storms that were likely made worse by fossil fuels being burned. I think everyone here can say, no matter the political affiliation, that the flooding is getting worse...In my lifetime, I've seen ponds that used to freeze, you could drive a truck on. Now they don't even freeze enough to skate on most years.

With FloodVision, we're able to take a look ahead into the future, to see what could happen to this sprawling outdoor museum that explains the local history of the area to thousands of visitors, from Indigenous peoples (with artifacts dating back to 10,000-12,000 years ago), to the present day.

Another local summer institution is at risk: the Peirce Island Outdoor Pool. This public pool is free to Portsmouth residents under 18, and just $3 a day for adults. Max drove by on a cloudy day before its Fourth of July opening. By the end of the century, the area is at risk of inundation during storm events.

While the waters were serene during the FloodRover's travels through New Hampshire, the state's beaches and marshes  bore the brunt of January's ferocious storms . In April, the Federal Highway Administration announced a $20 million grant to help reconstruct the state's coastal seawalls  eroded by storms and flooding . On a day when the beaches beckoned, and the seas were calm, it was something to consider as we have entered into what could be a  hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season .