As my sons and I sat on the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina, last month watching one of the resort community’s spectacular sunrises, I thought to myself how this awe-inspiring picture might be completely different in years to come. The sea is encroaching on many Atlantic Coast communities, from Georgia to New Jersey and beyond.

Last weekend, a coming attraction for what may be in store for that area and the rest of us in the form of Hurricane Ian, which lay waste to Florida’s west coast, then churned through central and northeast Florida before going out to sea and reforming only to return to the Carolinas. We in our area got a glancing blow - some rain - but that was about it.

Almost every week, it seems, we are reminded of the impending effects that climate change is having on our world. We may be complacent now because we have been in a “near drought” condition for the past six weeks or so, but this past year there have been constant reminders about the ravages of climate change.

Most recently, prior to Ian, Hurricane Fiona devastated Puerto Rico, parts of the Dominican Republican, even the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Abnormal amounts of rainfall caused untold misery and problems in eastern Kentucky, parts of Texas and St. Louis, Missouri.

Meanwhile, out West, drought conditions and wildfires prevailed yet again, forcing massive evacuations in California, even Oregon and Washington.

Most of you are familiar with the old saying, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Well, we better do something about it - fast - and take seriously the abnormal weather events that are becoming increasingly more frequent and intense.

And many of the doubters who claim that those concerned about the impact of climate change are alarmists or nut-cases are singing a different tune now that they woke up to historic floodwaters sloshing around their windows or experiencing firsthand choking smoke darkening the sun. And we’re still fiddling while homes burn, flood out or are destroyed by more frequent Mother Nature events.

It seems that no one is immune from what is happening. A Washington Post analysis shows that nearly one in three Americans lives in a county hit by a weather disaster in the past year. This includes the five counties in the Times News area and most of the others in northeastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Residents who live along major rivers such as the Schuylkill, Lehigh and Delaware and those along major streams in our area hold their collective breath these days every time there is a forecast for a significant rainstorm.

These climate-fueled disasters show the growing impact of a warming planet and how it already has transformed our lives. Having storms accompanied by rainfall of four to eight inches used to be a once-in-a-century phenomenon; now, it is becoming more commonplace.

While we are being inundated with heavy rain and flash and river flooding, our neighbors in New Jersey who live along the Passaic and other rivers are, in some cases moving to higher ground.

Just two years ago, in the Lambertville, New Jersey, area of Hunterdon County, a mere 75 miles from Lehighton, seven people died, most of them drowning in their vehicles which were swamped on overwhelmed highways by raging floodwaters.

Tornadoes in this part of Pennsylvania were once a rarity but no more. Just two years ago, we had tornadoes touch down in Slatington and Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County.

Lake Harmony in Kidder Township had about six inches of rain during Tropical Storm Ida last year. Several communities in Schuylkill County have experienced multiple flooding events during the past several years. Last summer, seven rivers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey posted record-breaking levels, at a time when waterways usually are at their lowest flows.

During his personal inspection of the damage and destruction caused by a tropical storm last year in nearby New Jersey and New York, President Joe Biden said, “The evidence is clear. Climate change poses an existential threat to our lives, to our economy, and the threat is here. It’s not going to get any better. We can stop it from getting worse.”

Most frightening of all, we must understand that these events are not just occasional aberrations; this is the new normal.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.