can crash fast. reporter: over the last century the river has shrunk by roughly 20%. those losses are more apparent in the lower basin states, but the impacts are being felt across the entire waterway. rafting the colorado is a breathtaking experience. it s a slow and times bumpy ride through ancient time at a moment when it seems like the earth s clock is speeding up. even here the effects of climate change, rapid growth and water overconsumption are threatening the very existence of this river. we boat through cataract canyon, the best roller coaster in north america. class five rapids all the way down when it s high water. my most dangerous part of my job is when i get to this ramp. it s extremely dangerous. reporter: the river has shrunk so much, it s nearly impossible for colorado river guides to pull boats out of the water. it s like pyramid building,
well, as far as the response for california, office of emergency services and their team, i am not concerned about that. california is one of the states with a lot of resources, a lot of capabilities. i am concerned, and this is something we are seeing repeated over and over again, extreme weather in areas that never experienced it before, and what we don t know what we don t know, our infrastructure wasn t built for it. comparing it to other types of different disasters doesn t always tell us what s going to happen. the big concern is people underestimate how deadly this flooding wcan be, particularly n areas not usually seeing this and drive out thinking that normal areas would be okay, trying to drive through and drown. that s definitely a concern. at the top of mind for so many people is this climate crisis. we are seeing disaster after disaster, obviously, fueled barbie climate change, and the impact that we are seeing is fema s resources being drained.
you have guys putting roller tubes underneath boats, guys are running and putting the tubes under until we get to flat land on time like ancient egyptian technology literally. reporter: it s such a hassle that many tours go 50 miles down downstream. what worries him is the threat to future generations. we need to solve these issues now. it s no longer a problem we can kick down the line. reporter: a sentiment echoed by everly. it would be heartbreaking to lose this place. victor, there s a massive climate change driven drought which has lasted for 23 years and the region s worst in 20 years. it remains critically important