Replacing concrete with porous pavement, employing green roofs and rain barrels, restoring creeks and wetlands, and increasing tree cover can help cities absorb rain water rather than funnel it to sewer systems.

WHITEHOUSE: Building the Future: Innovative Water Infrastructure

Many people climbed onto their roofs in the pouring rain after storm sewers backed up.

NPR: Argentina: Flooding From Torrential Rains Kill 52

Finally, our train heaves out of the station and past the creeks of Mombasa Island, belching out plumes of thick smoke as we swoop around shanty towns where corrugated iron roofs glisten in the rain, and ditches where frogs croak in the darkness.

BBC: East Africa��s best kept secret

It includes green roofs and landscaping, meaning the rain tree would be surrounded with greenery.

WSJ: Moving an Octogenarian Is Tough, Especially One That Put Down Roots

Smithtown Building Department Director John Bongino said officials are concerned that the weight from the snow and rain could lead to building collapses, especially on structures with flat roofs.

WSJ: NY mall reopens after concerns about roof collapse

Beyond that, it was fascinating to see seeing what Detroit automakers are doing to reduce their carbon footprints, like using green roofs that insulate their buildings, porous pavement to filter rain water and even solar panels to help power their facilities.

FORBES: An Eye-Opening Trip To The Motor City

Steep wooden roofs with locally manufactured flat tiles protect the churches from the rain and occasional snow.

UNESCO: Painted Churches in the Troodos Region