After the Floods

Abstract Ellicott City, a historic mill town in central Maryland, suffered two fatal flash floods in 2016 and 2018. Each was the result of a supposedly “once in a thousand years” rainfall event. This book recounts the town’s struggle to find a pathway to watershed resilience in the wake of the floods. Despite advantages of wealth, expertise, and a strong community identity, the community and local government struggled with conflict, as controversial proposals to tear down historic buildings, ban development, and construct massive infrastructure projects battled for support. At the heart of the controversies were conflict over what counts as knowledge and whose knowledge counts, how to hold an effective participatory dialogue, and how to understand and protect the core meaning of the place at risk. The book identifies lessons from the town’s experience that can help other small towns and communities staring at a future of risk from floods, wildfires, drought, and other disasters.