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Tangier Island, Virginia, with a population of 460 – and shrinking – is the topic of this new podcast from Washington, D.C., news radio station WTOP.
The five-part podcast series, Going Under: The Story of Tangier Island, takes listeners to the tiny island to hear directly from the people who live there and want to save it.
The community is in the middle of Chesapeake Bay. Residents drive golf carts and speak their own dialect. Visitors must travel by boat or plane to get there. But the island is vanishing. The reason why depends who you ask – with climate change at least a contributing factor. But the fact is it could become uninhabitable in as little as 25 years, wiping an entire community and way of life off the planet. Should the island be saved…and at what cost? It’s a question that has received attention from the highest rungs of power – including The White House.
“It’s easy to judge the people of Tangier Island and say, ‘They should just leave.’ But visiting the place, learning more about its history, and talking with residents helped me better understand their point of view,” said Michelle Basch. “A series and podcast is a great way to share that experience.”
Check out the podcast at GoingUnderPodcast.com.
Michelle Basch and the WTOP team are hosting a live listening party on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Twitter to celebrate the launch of the podcast and for listeners to ask questions. Follow Michelle on Twitter @mbaschWTOP.