An Ancient Way to Survive Floods: Life on Germany’s Hallig Islands

About this episode

For thousands of years, Indigenous communities along the Mississippi River and its tributaries built earthen mounds. Some complex constructions rose 8 stories high. These mounds were built for spiritual and religious reasons and also used as a refuge from floods.   Thousands of miles away, on a string of tiny islands off Germany’s North Sea coast, people still live on raised earthen mounds, watching the sea wash over the land around them as the frequent floodwaters rise. Reporter Tamsin Walker takes us to the Hallig Islands, where flooding is part of the rhythm of life, and where residents are finding ways to adapt as sea levels rise. But as the water climbs, so do the costs of staying. This episode was produced in collaboration with the DW podcast, Living Planet, an award-winning podcast based in Germany that brings you environmental stories from around the world. To read more about Indigenous earthen mounds in the Mississippi River Valley, check out this essay by Sea Change friend and contributor, Boyce Upholt.   This episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Reporting by Tamsin Walker, a journalist with the DW podcast, Living Planet. Editing help from Johanna