What civil engineers are reading this week

• In wake of NYC structural failure, engineers vouch for office-to-apartment conversions

  Structural engineers say conversions are safe, even in densely populated areas, despite the incident at the former Pfizer building in Manhattan – provided engineers conduct careful structural analyses.

• Feds increasingly leave local governments hanging when climate disasters hit, report finds

  Communities that seek emergency federal aid to help rebuild public infrastructure when climate disasters hit can’t count on that help to arrive, based on the outcome of historic floods in Wisconsin last August.

• House, Senate committees OK water resources bills

  The full House and Senate committees have approved their respective versions of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026. Differences still need to be reconciled to enact the biennial legislation.

• Will EVs dominate global auto market? It’s just a matter of time, ‘Inevitable’ author says

  The electric vehicle wave has seemed imminent in the past, so why can’t it be stopped this time? Mike Colias makes the case in Inevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles.

• Torrential rain prompts Texas Hill Country flash flood emergency warnings

  The region experiencing dangerous flash flooding is near Kerr County, which includes Camp Mystic, where deadly flooding occurred a year ago.

• As New York City sizzles, a $6B power line from Canada is still on the fritz

  The cable that was supposed to help power the city during blistering heat will likely be offline for the rest of the month, which Gov. Kathy Hochul called “unacceptable.”