60 Minutes: Maryland Island Struggles to Survive Impact of Rising Sea Level, Erosion

Hilary Harp Falk, CBF president and long-time Smith Island visitor, interviewed alongside local residents

This episode of the CBS News program "60 Minutes" looks at Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay, an island nestled off the coast of Crisfield in Tangier Sound, which is slowly disappearing as sea rises and erosion hits the shoreline. Smith Island is one of Maryland's most unique cultural and ecological places. It is also at the front lines of the climate crisis, facing immense threats from sea level rise, flooding, and erosion. The population has dwindled, but the people still living there say they're there to stay.

60 Minutes Correspondent Jon Wertheim interviewed CBF President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk, who spent many childhood summers on the island. In her early career, Harp Falk worked as one of CBF's island educators. Today she is a partial owner of Smith Island property and frequently visits with her own family.

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This video is being shared from the "60 Minutes" YouTube channel. © CBS News/60 Minutes

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