A small island in the Chesapeake Bay is sinking. Erosion and the rising sea levels are to blame, but most of the islanders don’t believe in climate change. They hope Trump will build you a saving wall.
Tangier is a marshy island in the Chesapeake Bay, a wide estuary about 145 kilometers South of Washington, DC. With the boat it takes one hour to reach the only three-square-mile island.
Its seclusion has ensured in the past 240 years, was able to develop a culture all its own. Barely 500 people live on the island, most of them are conservative Christians. They speak a dialect that exists nowhere else. Cell phone reception, you don’t have and most of their routes don’t return with the bike or Golf cart, if you go by foot.
If you approach the island, you will immediately notice how vulnerable she is. The houses and trees along the banks appear to be directly in the water, at high tide the water rises again and again, up out of the sewers and flooded streets and gardens.
Hurricanes are looking for Tangier, for centuries the home, the residents have epidemics survived, they are used to disasters. Nevertheless, you could be in for soon before something unprecedented: their island could soon disappear completely. Today she rises to her highest point only a little more than a metre out of the water. Since the middle of the 19th century. Century, the island has already lost two thirds of its surface area to the water.
More about: Behind the dyke: The coast in the shadow of climate change
The United States Geological Survey sees the cause for the rise in sea level in climate change. Some researchers even believe that the floor could be lowered. In the case of the islanders they meet, however, on deaf ears. They are convinced that it alone of the Erosion is that the water spills on the doors of their homes along.
“You can see that, especially after Storms,” says the 60-year-old mayor of the island, James Eskridge, “but a rise in sea level that we see here.”
Gardens, which are submerged at high tide at Tangier Island, nothing unusual
Dwayne Crockett, the history teacher at the local school, it looks similar. He quoted the Bible to prove his Conviction.
After Noah and his animals survived on the ark, he says, “promised by the Lord God to them: ‘I will Never again destroy the earth with a flood!'” Crockett and Eskridge also remember that you have already played as children on streets and in gardens that were flooded.
“Erosion has always been our great concern,” explains Crockett. “I still remember when I was a Boy, was washed away, the Western part of our island at an alarming pace. The threat to our airstrip and our sewage treatment plant. Eventually, the Federal government has built then, finally, in the West, a wall along the water, and, thank God, has stopped the Erosion in the area to 100 percent.”
Rescue by Trump
Now he fights together with the mayor for a wall around the entire island. And the two have found a surprising ally: Donald Trump. The President was due to a report of the news channel CNN on Tangier in which Eskridge was interviewed. It was the massive support for Trump in the presidential election of 2016 – more than 85 percent of the island’s inhabitants had given him their vote.
“What the mayor would say to the President?” asked CNN. “Tell him I love him, as he would be part of my family,” said Eskridge.
Trump saw the TV report and wanted to talk with his passionate Fan. “I was just out there, catch crabs,” recalls Eskridge. “It was Monday morning and my son came to get me. He said I had to come home because the President wanted to talk with me. I The President said ‘what?'”
Eskridge thought someone was supposed to play a prank. But shortly thereafter, he spoke with Donald Trump, who made vague promises to support your project. Since then, Eskridge has met three Times with members of the Trump-government and also experts from the Army Corps of Engineers were there. He has spoken with reporters from 22 countries, in the hope that the fate of his island will also attract international attention.
Find out more: How an island nation from climate change to save
James Eskridge, of blue crab fishermen and the mayor of Tangier hopes that President Trump will save the island
“We are not talking here only of a piece of Land,” says Eskridge. “We talk of families, a community, a culture and a way of life. We produce a lot of fish and seafood and since the first world war, many people have served here in the military. It felt to us at that time as important, I hope, therefore, that we are still important.”
“You see Tangier as a Test,” says Crockett. “If you can’t even save a small island with 450 people, then you can forget about big cities like New York or Boston.”
More: Rising sea level threatens world-famous statues on Easter island are also animal lovers who wish to speak. For them, it goes to the rescue of an important habitat. “It is a wonderful area for wildlife,” says Jim God, owner of the Bay View Inn. “This is an important resting place for migratory birds and butterflies. The loss of the island would be devastating for you.”
The state of Virginia has recently declared ready to build a simple stone sea wall to protect the port of Tangier – a project that for nearly 20 years, will be discussed. The wall should only cost three million dollars, but a high quality wall that surrounds the entire island, would be much more expensive. The Army Corps of Engineers has applied for funds to conduct a feasibility study and create a realistic cost estimate.
Climate change, or just Erosion?
“The storms in the area have increased and become more violent,” says Jill Bieri, a marine biologist at the NGO the Nature Conservancy. “Tangier gets to feel the impact.” Your suggestion would be, to protect the island by using an artificial oyster reefs against destructive waves. Such reefs consist of concrete piles stapling shells, under the water, so as to form a natural barrier. Erosion could be minimized, that flattens the shore, and with the species planted, which tolerate saltwater, or Sand from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay high pumps to the island.
More information: sea levels could rise by four metres by the year 2300
Watch the Video 02:02 Now live 02:02 Min. 
Share
What is the greenhouse effect?
Send Facebook Twitter google+ Tumblr VZ Mr. Wong Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/16dKR
Info film: What is the greenhouse effect?
However, in spite of everything, no one is safe, whether it is possible to save Tangier in fact, or for how long. “The erosion speed is increasing,” says Bieri. “This is the sea-level rise. I can’t tell if a wall can protect the island or not. But I doubt that in the long term, anything man-made can in front of the protect, what will happen in a natural way in the coastal regions.”
At the Moment, the island residents cope with the Floods. The start of School is delayed often. It may also be a challenge to move on the island, says the innkeeper, Maureen God. As she and her husband bought seven years ago, the house was not aware of how to fight often with high water would have.
“It depends on the moon: new moon, full moon, wind direction, wind speed, whether there is a storm or not,” she explains. And even if a Hurricane doesn’t hit the area directly, the heavy rain in the Region, the rivers swell and the water is pouring into the Chesapeake Bay. And also the Tangier presents problems.
There are only bad news? No. At least, tourism has boosted the media presence and the vague future of the island. Alex Shtogren, for example, came for a weekend from Baltimore, out of curiosity, he says. It was for the old and unusual Lifestyle on the island. “I wanted to see it, as long as it’s still there,” he says. “It is said that this was Ground Zero for climate change, therefore, I thought to myself: now or never.”
-
Germany under waterFlooded Garden
A fire brigade pumping the terrace in Heersum (lower Saxony) is empty: After 48 hours of continuous rain, the situation in most flood regions, the situation has relaxed somewhat. Forces can start to work with the first clean-up. In lower Saxony, Goslar, Germany, on Wednesday declared state of emergency has been lifted, the redevelopment of the city, however, cost millions of dollars.
-
Germany under waterSlip off the slopes?
But not everywhere, it gives the all-clear: forces the fire Department to complain bags a slope in langenstein (Saxony-Anhalt) with sand. You should complain to the slope, and stabilize. Because of the persistent rain has softened the soil, so that now in many places, landslides threaten.
-
Germany under water“The place is running full”
Dams made of sand the water from streets and houses to keep bags. In Parts of lower Saxony, the flood situation continues to be tense. And also in Harsleben, Saxony-Anhalt, the situation is only getting worse. “The place is running full,” said Kai-Uwe Lohse, applications Manager at the district of Harz. In the low-lying place, the rain, crowds gather. Homes were evacuated.
-
Germany under waterWhen the water presses from below
Threat close to the water of the historic railway seems to come From the Ziller Creek dam above Wernigerrode in Saxony-Anhalt is likely to overflow for days of water. “To create the increase in groundwater makes to us”, says Kai-Uwe Lohse, use the heads in resin. This is the reason why in other Parts of the country, the level of the rivers continue to rise.
-
Germany under waterClosed today!
The business of this restaurant on the banks of the Danube in Bavaria is gone in the days of continuous rain in the truest sense of the word, down the drain. Also the German farmers ‘ Association makes a financial loss. The harvest had to be canceled until further notice.
-
Germany under waterDon’t Panic!
Paddling on the Danube: On smaller rivers in Bavaria, the water levels have fallen again. The level of the Danube but should rise even further. The rivers Oker, Schunter, Central Riede and honeycomb in lower Saxony will continue to occur on the shore. The fire brigade in Braunschweig, Germany, warned make, in spite of rising water levels before the panic. You do not think that Braunschweig will be flooded.