Meet the Author: Tim Palmer

Join us on Friday May 17th for a special author event with Tim Palmer. A former resident of Williamsport, Tim has an incredible perspective on the history of flooding and flood management.

With a lifetime of engagement in flooding issues and with years of research on this topic, Tim Palmer explores the legacy of flooding in America, taking a fresh look at the emerging climatic, economic, and ecological realities of our rivers and communities. Global warming is forecast to sharply intensify flooding, and this book urges that we reduce future damage in the most effective, efficient, and equitable ways possible. Published by the University of California Press, 2024.

“Brilliantly written, expertly researched, Seek Higher Ground” examines in pathbreaking ways our ongoing cataclysm in the age of climate change. Tim Palmer is the ideal author to reveal practical solutions to America’s chronic vulnerability to flooding. His heartfelt narrative is an urgent wake-up call for action.”
—Douglas Brinkley, historian and author of Silent Spring Revolution

“The most comprehensive and compelling book written on the history and challenges of floodplain management.”
—Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers

“Tim Palmer brings together crucial issues of flooding as no one has done before. This account is gripping to read and essential to understand as we face a world altered by a warming climate.”
—Philip Garone, author of The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California’s Great Central Valley

“Warm air holds more water vapor than cold—so we can expect flooding to keep increasing, which means we should pay close attention to the lessons in this book. Too much water is going to be as big a challenge for our earth as too little; now is the time to act.”
—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

“A story I could not put down. I recommend it to all who are affected when streams and rivers rise, to all who work in this challenging field, and to all who end up paying for the floods that are destined to increase as the climate crisis unfolds—and that includes every one of us.”
—Brian Richter, cofounder of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Water Program and author of Chasing Water

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Otto Bookstore, 107 West 4th Street, Williamsport, United States