This comment doesn't make any sense but I like it.

This got me thinking. There are American folktales about great floods from not very long ago. I wonder how much we can think the catastrophic flood narratives belie a situation in which any major flood was catastrophic just because it happened and was devastating. Maybe we’re now experiencing the same type/level of floods but they aren’t as catastrophic because we have developed the ability to be more predictive and more protective.

I don’t wish to diminish the efficacy of ancient cultures or be chauvinistic about “today’s technology”, but I’m reminded of one explanation of the rise in autism rates being linked better and more diagnostic insights.