Rising Seas Levels Are Already Remaking Reality in This North Carolina Community

Photographs by CCD Fellow Cornell Watson 

Link to article on TIME Magazine website

A time-lapse at Lovie Miller’s home in Scranton captures the water rising around her property during high tide. Flooding has been part of Miller’s life since childhood, but events that were once infrequent have become a regular part of life.

A flooded road during a king tide, Swan Quarter, N.C. King tides are naturally occurring, exceptionally high tides that can cause coastal flooding even in the absence of a storm. Swan Quarter has an almost 18-mile-long dike that helps protect against flooding from rain and high tides.

Peaches Williams watches the water rise during high tide at her former home, which she left after it flooded with 52 inches of water.

Lelon and Senorita Howard stand in their yard in Scranton, North Carolina, where high tides can push water onto their property even on clear, storm-free days—a phenomenon known as “sunny day flooding.”

Senorita Howard’s family photo album preserves memories of a culture and way of life increasingly vulnerable to flooding and rising seas.

Black communities from across Hyde County gather for Family and Friends Day, a celebration of food, music, games, and community a few miles from Scranton.

Peaches Williams walks through her former home, which she was forced to leave after severe flooding made it uninhabitable.