Block after block across metropolitan Milwaukee, piles of soaked carpets, waterlogged appliances and furniture stained beyond recognition now slump in front yards and along sidewalks.

These are spaces where summer should be lived, not filled with debris.

The streets tell the story of families turned inside out by a 1,000-year flood , as cherished keepsakes, family photos, childhood drawings — in some cases, all the reminders of lives lived, now washed away. And in town centers, beloved restaurants, local shops, small businesses, cornerstones of the community where we gather and make memories are grappling with how to move forward.

There’s little doubt that climate change is here — whether it’s wildfire smoke lingering in our air, warmer winters and disappearing ice on our Great

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