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Weather-wise, the days after a hurricane tears through are often gorgeous: sunny, cloudless, calm. But the risks aren’t over once the flooding recedes and the wind is no longer hurling debris. Heat can pose a serious, even fatal risk, particularly for workers cleaning up after the disaster, according to new research from the University of Georgia and published by the peer-reviewed journal GeoHealth. Climate change is increasing the danger on both ends — making the storms more frequent and intense and making the post-storm conditions more unbearable.
The researchers say the danger of heat is often overlooked. Much of the U.S.’s hurricane season is during the summer, and many of the hardest-hit places are in the sweltering south, meaning it can often be dangerously hot in the aftermath of a storm.
The group of researchers studied the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Texas in July 2024. In that storm, 14 people died from d... Read more
