So Long Earth

1

Far From Routine

Prologue

Denver, CO , September 2017

Dr. Thomas Burns could not believe what he was hearing. He was sitting in a restaurant with his eight-year-old son Sam after attending a baseball game. The Colorado Rockies had just defeated the New York Mets by a score of eight to six. They were discussing the various players on the team. That was until the president started talking.

Listening intently to every word President Trump said on CNN, the environmental scientist shook his head several times. He’s appealing to every gawker of developers and brand-loving radical s rolling everything back —radicals who want to de-regulate, de-environment, just de-anything—and it was deflating , thought Dr. Burns. Decades of work falling apart for a new consensus, it seemed. Depressing.

Not only was the president waging a permanent delay of just about everything, while making money for his backers, but he was hoping people were going to do nothing about it. He was buying time for some of his obscenely wealthy investors and developers; that was all. They somehow pinned their losses in the previous years from failed deals and investments on anyone but themselves, despite how their investments were only about money, not about the major concerns of the times that appeared everywhere you looked. Having had a great outing with his son only moments ago, Dr. Burns fumed as he sat there.

The president was like the suits many in the rural parts of the Dakotas, Tennessee, and his home state of Colorado worried about. They were all caught up in their excesses, mindless to what life outside their air-conditioned life was like. Who cared how his message on TV was going to benefit neglected areas? He just expected people to deal with it. Except, this time, this suit, staring at Dr. Burns on the high-definition TV screen, was the one barreling his way at anyone who gave him a microphone like a dusted wagon train full of barons with money bags who pulled into town. And he’d be building what he knew best, a wall of heat for struggling people. They were less interested in tackling the daily concerns in their lives, finding no areas of concern in common.

Dr. Burns shook his head again. And the environment was a no-brainer!

Sam looked up at him momentarily, and Dr. Burns gave a half-reassuring smile. Sam returned his attention to his cell phone.

The president was unconcerned about whatever no man’s land was left in his wake of ruin while he doled out skepticism and disparaging comments when people needed reassurances and to feel confident that the authorities were doing their best to keep them safe and secure. In the old Wild West, they used to blame the Yankee, wondering if somebody up in the skyscrapers meant them more harm than good. They just wanted the top suite.

Dr. Burns couldn’t stop looking from the TV to his son. He felt like he was falling into an abyss when he should have been feeling like he was there to share a moment of joy with his son.

He stood up, and despite his tall stature—he’d almost made it to varsity baseball years ago at six feet, two inches tall—he felt powerless. It was time to put the agreed-upon plan into action—at full speed. First, he gave his son some ice cream and told him to stay seated across from him, take out his Game Boy, and put his ear buds in, as he did not want Sam to be concerned about what he was going to discuss over the phone. He pulled out his phone and dialed a group text number, the specific code setting of a meeting of his peers. Tom raked his hands through his solid black hair, practically pulling strands out as he waited impatiently for everyone involved in the meeting.

Within five minutes, all of his colleagues around the world were on FaceTime. He’d been selective about which colleagues from Russia, Germany, Australia and America he involved in preparing the mission. Several of them had worked with him on projects at Boeing and others he had met at conferences around the world that had brought his attention to the staggeringly slow pace of applied research. He knew immediately what he wanted to say to the thirty people he’d reached. He trusted them. He sat back down as they met and discussed their plans.

Members from these four countries were going to be the first ones involved because they understood that to do nothing would ensure the end of the human race. These thirty people were the most esteemed researchers in their field of expertise. They published nearly 500 research papers researching climate warming and various environmental issues as well as future space travel. Russia, as the leader in space travel, was an obvious choice. Germany had some of the leading engineers in the world. Australians had suffered a great number of environmental disasters such as a deteriorating Great Barrier Reef and also had a large number of excellent engineers.

Tom, despite his anguish, spoke calmly. I hope everyone was watching the president’s disgusting speech. Obviously, he is not going to listen to any environmental scientists or reports. We have no choice but to go ahead with our agreed-upon plans. It is full steam ahead. We will have to speed everything up. Based on the environmental evidence and facts, the human race probably has 200 years—or less—to live. To survive, we need to find a new planet.

Several of his colleagues made comments agreeing with Dr. Burns. They all agreed they would go home and start implementing the agreed-upon plans.

With that, he ended the FaceTime meeting. He felt a spectrum of emotions including betrayal by the president’s actions and fear for his children’s future and the future of everyone else. He had hoped his family could grow up to lead normal lives, go to college, marry, have children and choose a career for themselves without worrying about the environmental disasters that were sure to take place. He also felt bad for just about everyone alive and every person yet to be born. Most people were going to face terrible hardships just trying to survive. Most of all, he felt determined.

He and Sam walked toward the exit. Tom waved goodbye to the woman behind the counter.

As his son closed the door behind them to the restaurant, Tom felt the cool night air, hoping his son wasn’t too cold given the temperature had fallen quickly. It was September and although it had been a mild seventy-five degrees at Coors Field, they had to walk a block to get to their car. He didn’t want to embarrass his son, so he just put his arm around him to keep him warmer. Sam didn’t protest thankfully.

As they made their way to their car, Tom couldn’t help but look at Sam’s baseball glove that Sam held loosely in his hands. He’d given the glove to Sam after his son refused to use Tom’s old worn-out one. Tom had used that glove as a teenager when he was about Sam’s age. He laughed to himself when he remembered Sam’s look on his face as he stared at Tom’s old glove. It seemed so important to him to give it to Sam, but Sam wanted his own glove.

Tom knew that Sam had loved the game that afternoon. Sam had a fantastic baseball card collection and often recited stats that baffled Tom, who also felt proud of his son for knowing and memorizing all kinds of stats. Seemed like the type of thing kids should be worried about in high school, not what was weighing on Tom’s mind. Tom shook away a bunch of thoughts. He still wanted to look like he was enjoying himself after he and Sam had watched their favorite team win and ate at their favorite restaurant. But that damn television and the news. He was overcome with concern and resentment, knowing that his son’s future was going to be nothing like his own.

Sam said, You know my good friend Kory just made varsity, and I heard that there were even some top university recruits watching. I hope when I get to high school, I’ll play that well.

Tom stared at Sam momentarily, masking the welled-up feeling of regret and sorrow that threatened to silence him, before he said, Sam, you’re going to play with the best.

He unlocked the car door, and they headed toward Interstate 70. All the while, Tom was glad that he had reached an agreement with his colleagues that there would be no more delays, no matter what lay ahead.

And so, it began.

Part I

Preparing

2017-2024

Chapter 1 – Far from Routine

Dr. Tom Burns, Boeing Offices, Aurora, Colorado

Tom and his colleagues had decided to hire the best teams to build intergalactic spaceships to find a new planet to live on that was comparable to Earth. It was either that or face the possibility of seeing the end of life. Since it could take years, if not hundreds of years, to prepare and reach a destination or planet that was safe for human life, it was necessary to keep humans alive, active, and to be able to live as healthy a life as possible.

Tom, who had worked at Boeing for sixteen years, knew there was no way a spaceship would ever be approved by the government. Also, he could not ask a company such as Boeing to build a spaceship that would be necessary to their specifications. It took years for any new program to be developed at a major corporation that was mainly concerned about its stock price and shareholders. There was just too much red tape that Tom wanted to avoid at all costs.

When Tom had decided to implement the spaceship project, he had known he had to resign his position with Boeing. By the age of forty-two, Tom had worked on various innovative projects that attempted to help sustain the future of the planet. Under Tom, Boeing had reduced greenhouse emissions and noise created by airplanes. His latest work had been on a hybrid airplane like what was currently available in cars. This would decrease the need for gasoline and carbon emissions. He was sad that he was leaving all these research projects and certainly some of his fellow scientists, but the work had been drawn out too long and time was of the essence.

Tom lived in Colorado with his family near Denver in Aurora, not too far from work. Soon after his meeting with his colleagues on the phone, he had decided to meet with his boss, Dr. Frank Sullivan, who supervised his job as an engineer, to let him know he was leaving and explain his reason for resigning.

Frank welcomed Tom to his office. Tom came in, and they shook hands.

Frank said, What can I do for you, Tom?

Well, Frankie, I need to talk to you about something.

Frankie, as everyone called him, had worked for Boeing for thirty-five years and generally was seen as a terrific boss and person. He had been through all the successes and failures, including a speedy rising stock price as well as a hustle to catch up with Airbus and build successors to their fifty-year old designs.

Ok. What’s up?

Frankie, good to see you. I came here because I wanted to tell you face to face that I will be resigning from my position with Boeing and moving on to another job.

Frankie looked aghast. He said, Are you going to General Dynamics, Lockheed or any of our competitors? Is it because of your salary or stock options?

Tom almost wanted to laugh, but since this was a serious discussion, he did not.

No, I am not going to any of those companies. I will do my best to explain it to you. You are probably going to think I am crazy when I finish. First, I want to say that I have enjoyed the time I have spent working at Boeing. However, as an environmental scientist, I am very concerned that human life on Earth will come to an end soon. I believe in the next two hundred years, with one natural disaster after another occurring, the world will end. People are going to die horrible deaths. Now I know that the government environmental reports and scientific journals have reported that they, too, believe we are going to have major problems with the environment. Still, they predict we will survive for quite a long time, although it will become more difficult with all the man-made pollution. I just think these scientists and government workers are not willing to provide the dire warning necessary because it would set off a huge panic in the population. After all, where would everyone go if you knew the world was about to end?

You know Boeing’s been in the news for wanting to beat Elon Musk to Mars over the years! It was almost offhanded. Frankie gave his winning smile. In addition, Boeing has been working on electric planes using a fuel cell. We were able to successfully fly one in 2008.

Jousting news, you know that! I’ve seen the mockups. Look, they’re mockups. Design stage stuff! Far from routine. First person to set their foot on Mars will get there on a Boeing-built rocket? Yeah, I saw that. Anyway, if Earth is uninhabitable, there will be no place on Earth that is safe from the destruction that is sure to come. Electric planes should have been developed a long time ago. I want my family, especially my children and grandchildren, to be able to live in a world where they do not have to worry. Why would you even have a baby if you knew the baby would die before they lived to be thirty years old? I have decided with the help of a special group of people from around the world to build a huge spaceship capable of reaching other galaxies in an attempt to find a planet to live on.

Tom waited for a reaction, which he knew was sure to happen.

You are kidding me, right? Tell me this is a joke.

Tom said with a straight face, No, Frankie, it is no joke.

Frankie stood up, rubbed his hands over his hair and looked down. Then he said, Look; actually, I agree somewhat with what you are saying. Earth will have big problems, and people will pay the price for a lot of stupid politicians around the world. But this idea of yours to build a spaceship to reach some faraway destination is just pure fantasy. Maybe in a hundred years, we will be able to do it, but we do not have a clue right now. Why don’t you stay here and help Boeing keep designing and researching this?

Frankie looked pained. Tom couldn’t help briefly sharing in his boss’s concerns or even appreciating Frankie’s gesture. In fact, he was proud of his work at Boeing. He’d spent years attempting to improve technologies, finding new ways to build sensors and develop applicable environmental assessments. Still, it seemed like they were drowning in data. Feeble improvements and politics were going to let politicians sit idly by despite it all and give his kids more explanations of how things really worked. What kind of message was being sent to his kids who hadn’t had the benefit of years of discovery and evidence yet? He didn’t only feel desperate; he felt like he would be shirking the contribution to the world that kept nagging at him, his calling.

Also, even if you travel at Mach 4, which is the fastest rocket speed we currently have, it will take you an eternity to go anywhere near where you want to be. You will all be dead before you even become close to getting there. Plus, you have no funding. This is going to cost billions—if not trillions—of dollars. No company in the world would undertake such a project right now. They would be bankrupt before it was finished, and there would be no profit at all. What if it exploded right after take-off? Who will be your partners in this endeavor? No one has developed anything close to what you are planning to do, so it is going to take a lot of manpower and brainpower to accomplish this. There are just too many unknowns right now to succeed.

Tom said, "Your reaction is kind of what I expected, and you have every right to your own opinion, but listen to me. There have been many advances in technology since the last millennia. Just look at Thomas Edison, the wonderful deaf inventor, and the Wright brothers flying for the first time. I bet people thought they were crazy too when they decided to fly a plane. Yet, they succeeded. Their inventions led to generations of discoveries. Unfortunately, each positive invention seems to have an equally negative reaction that affects the environment. The number of positive results, which make our lives easier, seems to have an equal impact on destroying life. We could call our world Man builds, Man destroys ."

Granted, you might have a point, but— Frankie rubbed the inside of his palms with his fingers frantically.

Just look at the cellphone, which is used by millions of people. Little did we know that the cell phone would lead to killing millions of bees and cause other problems. It is also causing thousands of car accidents. At a certain point, I am certain the only way we could actually survive here is to turn off all the electricity, go back to the horse and buggy, and see what happens. I really doubt that humans would ever accept that choice. Think of politicians and business people without the New York Stock Exchange. They would not know what to do with themselves. Yet, through the years our inventions have been advancing at a very rapid pace. Most of these inventors have also been told they would never succeed, but they do. Steve Jobs is a testimony to that. I have thought long and hard about this project, and I know many people will tell my colleagues that we will never succeed just like they told everyone else who came before us.

I’m not saying you’re doomed to fail, I’m just, well, it’s a lonely endeavor without the proper sup—

For your information, several other countries will join this endeavor, including Russia, Australia, and Germany. There will be more than one spaceship. I know it will take many years to complete the building of a huge spaceship, but we will do it. I have faith and truly believe that I will find the right people to succeed at this. If we fail, I believe all humanity fails, as there will be no one able to tell the story of the human race on Earth.

Frankie had listened intently, not used to Tom being so expressive about his aspirations. He said, That was a nice speech, but do you really think Russia is going to cooperate with you? They are only doing this to help themselves. Everyone knows they will not allow someone from the United States to beat them on a project like this. You know that is how they think. What about Putin and his puppet, Trump? Do you think they would sign off to a joint project of this magnitude? If you are so serious about this, maybe I can arrange for Boeing to have you lead a group of scientists to develop a project like this. We would not have to involve Russia. Plus, you would have a salary and a pension when you retire. Let me talk to the directors.

While Tom had thoroughly enjoyed working for Boeing, it was not possible to do both of these two jobs simultaneously. Since they were only going to build one ship and it was never coming back to Earth, there would be too many problems to overcome.

Tom said, First, Boeing would have to approve the project, which could take years. In making this kind of proposal, Boeing would want to know the estimated cost to develop a spaceship like this and how they would profit from it. Patents would have to be filed. Companies—such as Lockheed—might challenge them. The courts could take years to settle a very minor issue, and the building of the spaceship could be delayed indefinitely. Also, there would not be any financial profit for this since we are not returning to Earth. We will have to do this using only private funds. I have scouted a list of wealthy individuals that I hope to meet to obtain the necessary startup funds for such an endeavor. Several venture capitalists are already invested. I’ve managed to get a global technology stock portfolio percentage figured into several wealth flagship assets and investment management advisors’ pitches to navigate funds into our endeavor through small percentages of their stock choices. They gain, we gain. Additionally, we’ve set up a galactic superfund site.

What? Superfund sites are polluted locations set aside for massive cleanup of hazardous material contamination.

"Exactly. Hope the point is well taken. It’s what we’re dealing with here. This is one big clean up, and although the contamination we’re talking about on Earth is going to continue to be administered by the EPA, the contamination we’re looking to focus on has to do with unknown hazardous materials that we might have to address if it ends up posing a risk to human health and/or environment. Not sure if you ever went on a trip overseas after college, but you could always rely on traveler’s insurance to cover your trip essentials.

"Since we’re not going to be able to get any evacuation by helicopters, we’re going to have to deal with any exposure to hazardous materials that we find or that we end up carrying as a result of the long-term travel. Investors are interested in minimizing our waste-print in the galaxy even if we’ll be living in hazmat suits at some point. What we keep learning is that the waste end of the equation is a constant after-thought in all the projects we’ve seen funded ever since the Industrial Revolution with a whole slew of apologies published as excellent PR in front of the cameras and in print. We’re not interested in good PR and apologies. We’re interested in preventing the same kind of serious errors we’ve had in our production streams here on Earth.

We’ll be working off of some baseline new developments like NASA’s trash-to-gas, plasma gasification, implementing research that shows that bacteria can combat dangerous gas leaks, and avoiding all the missteps. We’ve seen problems that are now serious problems for NASA as they try to handle long-term waste generation. We’re shooting for hopefully converting waste into useful gases. Call it the ‘Everything-we-need-to-do-to-not-have-to-have-another-Superfund-Site’ as a national, um, stellar, priority. Stocks are already bringing in massive revenue streams. As is our own Amazon-like platform that allows people to purchase different parts and programs that we’ll be relying on to get the journey accomplished. Which by the way—"

Stop, Tom. I’m almost ready to buy a few of your parts.

Well, you can. For a nominal price, you too may be able to reshape the future of space waste without turning everything into a giant trash pile, helping on the front end of production. We can call the part after you or Boeing or both—Frankie goes to Centauri-wood.

Both men looked like two metal detectors that had detected the metal in each other’s words and were simultaneously beeping, testing each other’s mettle; neither was willing to believe what the other was willing or unwilling to do given the state of things.

Staring in disbelief, and despite Frankie not having the heart to follow through when the going got tough. Tom was disappointed but had to stay focused on the issues he faced. He continued, The second issue is the government red tape. I could care less about what Putin and Trump think about this. First, let me say something about President Trump. He is the main reason I am doing this right now. That man is totally ignorant about what is going to happen to life on this planet. All of his positions on the environment will make things a lot worse for the future of everyone. I admit this is not all the president’s fault. The problem started years ago when we hit the Industrial Age. Also, I don’t think Putin cares about the environment. I do know the Russian commander, and so far, he has been fully cooperating with my colleagues and myself. He has flown into space before and is fully confident he can build the Russian spaceship for the journey. I do think you are right in one way. It is not going to be easy to trust the Russians for a long-term project like this. The Russians and Americans have always been adversaries. I am fully aware at some point we may have minor or major conflicts with them, and I am going to have to be prepared to handle whatever problems arise. Our ship will be armed with the latest weapons and have the best personnel available to utilize them.

Frankie looked at Tom in disbelief. Tom, all of your ideas are great, but you need the Boeing team to assist you with this. We have some of the greatest minds working here, and I am sure Boeing would be willing to assist you in developing whatever you need. We don’t want to lose a person with your skills and fantastic ideas that may benefit everyone. We have a company that can mass produce whatever is created. I am sure we can come to an agreement that will satisfy everyone, including you.

Tom stood silent for a moment. He looked down at the ground and then started to shake his head with his arms crossed. He then continued, Thanks for the possible offer, but my colleagues and I have decided to do this without going through all the red tape and decision-making processes. We have already decided what must be done and will begin work soon. I don’t mind staying open to the possibility of you sponsoring some of the technology. Maybe that’ll be beneficial for everyone. Please feel free. I wish you the best of luck.

What about the conference tomorrow?

I’ll be there and won’t say a thing about my resignation. I’m sure what I have to say, with Boeing’s blessings, since you’ve seen the presentation, will still make the impact we need.

Tom offered his hand to Frankie, who was agitated and angry.

Frankie raised his voice. What a fool you are, Tom. This dream of an impossible project will surely fail. You will end up broke, and you and your children and grandchildren will never recover from it. Plus, you will drag down all the other people you plan to hire with your con job. Even if you succeed in building a ship like Noah’s Ark, it will probably explode or end up not going anywhere, and you will still be broke. What the hell do you think you are going to accomplish with all this nonsense?

Tom said, We can only accomplish something if we try. If we try and fail, then we can die knowing we did everything possible to save the human race. If someone else comes along and follows up on this and succeeds in saving the human race, that would be great too.

With those words, Tom turned in his letter of resignation and walked out of Frankie’s office.

He never spoke to Frankie again.

2

The Short Flight

Chapter 2 – The Short Flight

Tom Burns, Chicago-bound

During the flight to the climate change conference in Chicago, Tom reviewed his presentation. It was an early morning flight. He was ready for his mid-afternoon presentation. He felt great having talked to Frankie. He felt even better about the conference and the next few weeks. In the past one hundred years, people had done more harm to the climate than the last six hundred million years. This was unacceptable, but there was not much he could do about it. The United States government under Donald Trump had been resistant to accepting any report the environmental scientists had produced. Tom had become interested in saving the environment ever since his dad, William, died from cancer inflicted by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The United States government during the 1960s and 1970s had not only killed thousands of Vietnamese with these dangerous chemicals but also thousands of United States citizens. The military had been less than forthcoming about the effects of Agent Orange and tried to cover it up for years.

Before his dad died, his dad had made it clear that he was proud to have served his country and proud of his only son. He had wanted his son and grandchildren to enjoy life and have as many opportunities as possible. Tom believed in what his dad had told him. But now it was clear that the only way to enjoy a full life would be by leaving Earth behind.

After watching his dad die a horrible death in 2001, Tom had promised himself that he would do whatever he could to save people from the dangers that governments were inflicting on people of the world. He had decided to travel to places where climate change was having an impact on gaining as much information as possible. It was the subject of his presentation. Since the increase of cars, carbon emissions had increased significantly, causing the polar caps to melt, the ozone layer to disappear, and the oceans to rise. First, he had taken a job at Boeing, where he was one of the youngest engineers.

In 2008, Tom had met with a group of scientists to discuss climate changes happening in the world. Tom had left the meeting with a real sense of purpose. His daughter, Sophie, was only a year old, and he and his wife, Sarah, had been focused on building a family. They wanted three children. Once the kids were old enough, Tom would be ready to travel and gather first-hand accounts to prepare steps to help solve the problems beyond what he had been doing at Boeing ever since he was twenty-six years old.

Seven years later, Tom had traveled to the island of Kiribati. Jeff Tirortu, a native of the islands, had met him there. After having a meal, they had sat down to talk.

Our people have lived mostly off the land and sea, building up our subsistence agriculture, relying on coconut trees since our soil quality is poor and we have great fishing grounds. Kiribati was once a much larger island than it is now. It is part of a group of islands called the Gilbert Islands that stretches hundreds of miles. Our ancestors have been living here for hundreds of years. During World War II, we were the battlefield for one of the bloodiest battles between Japan and the allies. In the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, nearly 6,400 soldiers from the United States, Korea, and Japan died. The villagers experienced terror, torture, and destruction under the Japanese. Forced labor, being forced to provide goods and homes to soldiers, and the destruction of canoes made them think the end of the world had arrived. Then they were evacuated.

How dreadful, Tom had said.

Yeah. And the American bombings left nowhere to hide. After the Japanese surrendered, the local people saw better working conditions and compensation and provisions with an end to the forced labor. Their traditional way of life was gradually restored despite how long it took to recover from the war’s ecological and economic damage on the land and subsistence living. It’s taken decades. And they still find remains of servicemembers in unmarked graves who were killed during the battle, providing some answers to the families who were left in the dark back at home. And, now, how are the latest damages to the environment affecting our people and our lives living off the land and sea?

Jeff had slowly shaken his head, recalling stories he’d heard about how long it took to develop before a crop could be harvested again.

Once the industrialized countries started to mass-produce cars, there has been a considerable loss of land due to carbon emissions. We’re low-lying islands. Many smaller islands have had to be evacuated due to extreme flooding and drought as the sea rises. All of these evacuees have had to relocate to Tarawa, our capital. The losses seem endless to us. We haven’t been able to isolate ourselves, between the war and the environmental damages, and struggle to survive. What kind of answers will ever be provided?

Good question. Is it overpopulated?

Yes, over 100,000 people. There are so many people living here now that the living conditions have deteriorated. It is almost like a can of sardines. We are forced to try to relocate our citizens in other countries. We try to relocate as many citizens as possible close to each other so that we can try to preserve some of our cultural traditions. Some have been sent to New Zealand. When we move to New Zealand, we are forced to give up most of our cultural ways. The graves of our great ancestors are left behind, and many are underwater now. Many structures and buildings which were built in the last forty years are also underwater.

It’s like watching something you love fall away and you’ll never get to reclaim it. Some people have never experienced such a devastating loss. How do you rebuild? Where do you start?

"Yes, I do not know how long our country will survive as the polar caps melt, and the oceans rise and cover our islands. When the ocean rises enough, it goes into our freshwater, contaminating it and making it unfit to drink. Most of our citizens are spending a lot of their time trying to build walls to keep out the floods, but it has proved very difficult. It is probably impossible to save the islands.

And they don’t want to leave. Their hearts and spirits are tied to the land and to our people. I don’t think my mother and father would ever leave. They are our elders, and they can’t imagine starting over somewhere else. Maybe when you are young, you can flee, but—

How long before you think all the inhabitants will have to be evacuated?

Definitely before 2040, unless the world changes its behavior towards destroying the climate.

After visiting Tarawa and several smaller communities, Tom had flown back to the United States. His next opportunity to gather first-hand accounts was Lake Ontario years later in the summer of 2016. Lake Ontario stretches 310 kilometers, spanning the U.S. border with Canada between the state of New York and the province of Ontario. The last in the Great Lakes chain, Lake Ontario, serves as the outlet to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.

There he’d met Joyce and Hilda Scott. They had sat in their living room. They had told Tom they would have loved him to have seen their backyard, 300 yards from the lake. Tom remembered looking outside the back and noticing there was virtually no backyard at one time. It was only a matter of time before their home was underwater. As a result, there was no way to sell the house. Who would want to live in a place that was going to be underwater? They were both retired teachers and had bought a small home northwest of Rochester, New York. They had purchased their home in 1980. Unfortunately, around 1990, they had woken up one morning to find the water was only ten feet from their house. Many of their neighbors’ homes had been flooded and abandoned. The lake had risen due to the water release from the Moses-Saunders Dam, which also sent water into the Saint Lawrence River.

Can you imagine what it’s taken to get some common sense of water management? The water level of the lake is in the hands of the International Joint Commission, not the state. So, you can imagine the board of six people, with three Canadians and three Americans, have to compromise and are slow to react to flooding. Still, I keep hearing they’re trying to increase lake outflows, over two million gallons every second leaving the lake. That’s still not going to be enough of a drop overall, according to the experts, Hilda had said.

"We’re just sitting ducks while public hearings and politicians smack their lips about the ‘new normal,’ creating reality