On September 29, in New York City, a record rainfall created extreme flooding. It overwhelmed roadways, the subway, sewer systems, basement apartments, and vehicles. As I looked at the videos (including Sally, the sea lion who was temporarily liberated from her enclosure due to the high waters) and watched the deluge outside my window, all I could do was shake my head and say out loud, “Haven’t we been here before?”
Indeed, we have.
I was in Vermont when roads were shut down, and coffins were floating away from cemeteries. That was 2011.
The 2023 scenario felt awfully reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy. State of emergencies were called in New York and New Jersey, as disruptions impacted every sector of life from travel (think airports and railways) to schools. Stats showed that 8 inches of rain had fallen within twenty-four hours, more significantly than any time since 1948.
Challenges continue to face communities resulting from existing infrastructure unable to handle ongoing extreme weather brought on by climate change. Where is the political will needed from elected representatives to push forward on making the necessary legislative changes and apportioning monies to programs that will make a difference?
A recent Yale Climate survey, asked Americans, “What do you think is the greatest threat that global warming poses to the United States, if any?” 62 % of those polled responded, and the answers were grouped and examined by major themes. 20 % of the respondents (the top number by 13 %) qualified their most significant concern as “Weather extremes and changes”—which included the shifts in weather patterns and extreme weather occurrences and temperatures. Women are more worried (59 %) than men (52 %).
As a writer focused on how frontline communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, I also reviewed the Yale Programs report on how America is divided by race, age, and gender. Hispanic (64 %) and Black (61 %) adults fall into the combined “alarmed and concerned” categories. When the study looked at race, age, and gender in combination, results showed that people of color responded with the most alarm about global warming. The highest rates are women of color.
Unsurprisingly, Gen Z and millenials jointly make up 59 % of all generations who are “Alarmed and Concerned.”
Why are our politicians accepting these conditions as the new normal when scientists and meteorologists warn that conditions will worsen? Even insurance companies understand the risk factors that are impacting families.
What happens to people on the ground after catastrophes like hurricanes, fires, chemical spills, or flooding? How does the aftermath impact them? Who can put a price on destroyed belongings, emotional trauma, and physical devastation? In our fast-moving news cycle, new victims quickly replace survivors of older disasters in the public consciousness.
At the time of the wildfires in Hawaii in early August, the images coming out of Maui captured everyone’s attention. It was the deadliest American wildfire in over a hundred years. FEMA approved over $7 million to more than 2200 households. But it wasn’t until the end of September that the residents of Lahaina were allowed to return to their homes. Less prominent in the news were the narratives of displaced families, emotional trauma, speculators ready to swoop down and buy distressed land at low prices, and the historical losses of Native Hawaiians—including artifacts, maps, and documents of their history before European colonialism.
There has been a failure to put into play local and federal government-driven preparedness and solutions resulting from climate devastation—from Puerto Rico, California, New Orleans, and Port Arthur to Vermont.
The time is now to check where your local politicians stand and demand that they protect your home and family from the climate impacts of extreme weather.
TELL PRESIDENT BIDEN & EPA: MOVE QUICKLY TO FINALIZE STRONG POLLUTION PROTECTIONS