Climate Extreme Weather
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The ambitious plan to protect Northern California’s Plumas National Forest from wildfires
To shield the forest and its communities from the next megafire, the Forest Service plans to burn it — intentionally.
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![A large white and blue building sits on the banks of a river]()
![A large white and blue building sits on the banks of a river]()
At least 170 US hospitals face major flood risk. Experts say Trump is making it worse.
At many of these facilities, flooding from heavy storms has the potential to jeopardize patient care, block access to emergency rooms, and force evacuations.
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![Illustration of a couple hugging amidst wind and rain]()
![Illustration of a couple hugging amidst wind and rain]()
How disasters change our love lives — for better and for worse
Some couples broke under the pressure of Hurricane Helene. Others found something solid and surprising in each other.
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![Urban planner and public artist Sabina Sethi Unni stars as an humanized flood sensor – a tool that detects high water levels and delivers that data to a publicly-accessible map - in her community play Flood Sensor Aunty.]()
![Urban planner and public artist Sabina Sethi Unni stars as an humanized flood sensor – a tool that detects high water levels and delivers that data to a publicly-accessible map - in her community play Flood Sensor Aunty.]()
An absurdist theater artist prepares New Yorkers for climate disasters
"Sometimes a one-page pamphlet translated into two languages isn’t the best way for people to receive information, but a song about go-bags played on the synth is."
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![A river runs through a rural area]()
![A river runs through a rural area]()
Texas floods showed why many rural communities feel abandoned in a crisis
Almost a third of Americans live in unincorporated communities beyond city limits, where disaster aid can confuse and frustrate.
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![A photo looking down a muddy street, with construction equipment along the sides and workers in high-vis vests looking on.]()
![A photo looking down a muddy street, with construction equipment along the sides and workers in high-vis vests looking on.]()
They survived Hurricane Helene. Here’s how they’re doing a year later.
The powerful storm caught many people off guard as it drove through six states. As devastating as it was, did Helene truly change anything?
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![Collage of aerial view of Hurricane Helene damage in North Carolina, Trump and Franklin Graham, people praying with their arms raised, Trump's GoFundMe page, and a dollar bill]()
![Collage of aerial view of Hurricane Helene damage in North Carolina, Trump and Franklin Graham, people praying with their arms raised, Trump's GoFundMe page, and a dollar bill]()
Trump raised $8 million for Hurricane Helene survivors. Where did it all go?
The presidential campaign bad-mouthed FEMA while using crowdfunding to donate to evangelical nonprofits.
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![Photo of a man walking past an excavator cleaning up debris]()
![Photo of a man walking past an excavator cleaning up debris]()
How to track disaster spending in your community
As rising global temperatures fuel more intense weather, and disaster recovery budgets skyrocket, this accountability work has never been more important.
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![Collage of a worker wearing a hazmat suit cleaning up after wildfire, a worker repairing a power line, and a firefighter standing in a field]()
![Collage of a worker wearing a hazmat suit cleaning up after wildfire, a worker repairing a power line, and a firefighter standing in a field]()
The people behind America’s disaster recovery
From cleanup crews to powerline techs, these are the workers called in after catastrophe.
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![A fire rages at night with a transmission line in the foreground]()
![A fire rages at night with a transmission line in the foreground]()
Who pays for wildfire damage? In the West, utilities are shifting the risk to customers.
Utah laws cap wildfire damages and let utilities pass the cost onto customers. Utility lobbyists are pushing the model in other states.
