heavy weather: how climate destruction harms middle- and lower-income americans

7/30/2019 Heavy Weather: How Climate Destruction Harms Middle- and Lower-Income Americans

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Heavy Weather: How ClimateDestruction Harms Middle- and

Lower-Income Americans

Daniel J. Weiss, Jackie Weidman, and Mackenzie Bronson November 2012

www.americanprogress.o


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Heavy Weather: How ClimateDestruction Harms Middle-and Lower-Income Americans

Daniel J. Weiss, Jackie Weidman, and Mackenzie Bronson November 2012


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1 Introduction and summary recommendations

5 U.S. most damaging extreme weather in 2011-2012

21 Extreme weather is the new normal

24 Middle- and lower-income Americans more vulnerable t

extreme weather events

28 Reducing climate change risks

35 Conclusion

37 Methodology

38 Appendix: Costs and regional data

45 About the authors and acknowledgements

47 Endnotes

Contents


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1 Cn Amcan Pgss | havy Wa: hw Cma Dscn hams Mdd- and lw-incm Amc

Introduction and summary

recommendations

Te devasaing and ragic Hurricane Sandy and is conneced sorms caused a huge

swah o desrucion in he mid-Alanic region o he Unied Saes on Ocober 29,

beore hen dumping vas quaniies o snow in he Midwes. Te sorm is respon-

sible or a leas 110 aaliies in he Unied Saes and preliminary esimaes indicae

ha i caused $30 billion in damages, wih only one-quarer o one-hal covered by

insurance.1 I may be one o he coslies U.S. hurricanes in hisory.2

Unorunaely, Sandy is only he laes in a line o exreme weaher evens haseverely aiced Americans over he pas wo years. Tis includes desrucive

wildres in Colorado, record-breaking emperauresacross he naion, and severe

hundersorms and ornadoes across he Midwes. Farmers in he Grea Plains are

expecing o harves jus a racion o heir corn and oher crops his year as he

wors drough in 50 years plagues nearly wo-hirds o he naion.3 Vicious hea

waves, wildres, hurricanes, and severe sorms le more han 1,000 people dead.

Tese are he exreme weaher evens ha scieniss predic will become more

requen and/or severe i he indusrial carbon polluion responsible or climae

change remains unchecked.4

Scieniss and governmen agencies documened he devasaing exreme weaher

evens in 2011 and 2012. Te Naional Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion

repored 14 weaher evens ha caused a leas $1 billion in damages each in 2011. By

our esimaes, rom January hrough Ocober 2012, here were a leas seven addi-

ional exreme weaher evens wih more han $1 billion in damages each, wih oal

damages rom he wo years combined opping $126 billion.5 In addiion o hese

evens, economiss predic ha he 2012 drough will cause beween $28 billion and

$77 billion in damages, poenially bringing he wo-year oal o $174 billion.6

Te evens during his ime aeced all bu 4 o he lower 48 saes. A recen sudy

by Munich Re, he worlds larges reinsurance rm, ound ha Norh America is

experiencing a remendous rise in exreme weaher disasersa nearly veold

increase over he pas hree decades.7 Te rm concluded ha his is due o cli-

mae change and ha his rend will coninue in he uure.8


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One overlooked aspec o hese disasers, however, is he rae a which hey harm

middle- and lower-income householdspeople who are less able o quickly recover

rom such disasers. Tis Cener or American Progress analysis nds ha on aver-

age, counies wih middle- and lower-income households were harmed by many o

he mos expensive exreme weaher evens in 2011 and 2012. (see able 1)

Table 1

Billion Dollar Extreme Weather Events by category, January 2011through October 2012

Type o extreme

weather

Events with dam-

ages totaling $1

billion or more

Fatalities

Estimated eco-

nomic damages

(in billions o

2012 dollars)

Estimated damages

per household in a-

ected counties (in

2012 dollars)

Estimated median

household income

o aected counties

(in 2012 dollars)

Estimated percent di

between disaster area

household income a

median incom

Floods 2 12 $5 $720 $44,547 -14%

Droughts and heat

waves2 181 $40 - $88 N/A* $49,340 -5%

Wildre** 2 12 $2 $355 $50,410 -3%

Severe thunder-

storms, tornadoes,

hail and/or wind

10 590 $33 $1,022 $50,293 -3%

Winter storms 1 36 $2 $186 $51,977 0.1%

Tropical storms and

hurricanes4 183 $43 $1,056 $59,155 14%

Note: U.S. Median household Income: $51,914; Median income gures are Census Bureau 2005-2010 average*Drought primary aects armers, so damages per household was not calculated.

**Wildres dened by NOAA as entire seasons costing $1 billion, rather than individual res. States included incurred at least $50 million incosts rom wildres in 2012.

Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Census Bureau; National news outlets

Mos o hese exreme weaher evens ypically harmed counies wih household

incomes below he U.S. median annual household income o $51,914:

Floods damaged households in aeced counies wih average household

incomes o $44,547 annually14 percen less han he U.S. median income

Drough and hea waves aeced counies wih households ha earned an aver-

age o $49,340 annuallyroughly 5 percen less han he U.S. median income.Wildres, ornadoes, and severe hundersorms devasaed areas wih house-

holds ha earned an average o $50,352 annually3 percen less han he U.S.

median income.



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In ac, ropical sorms and hurricanes were he only ypes o exreme weaher evens

ha aeced more-well-o areas, on average, since January 2011. (see able 2)

Table 2

The high cost o extreme weather

Estimated economic damages rom U.S. extreme weather events that cost at least $1

billion, 2011 and 2012

Event

rank by

economic

damages

Event Name Date Fatalities

Estimated eco-

nomic damages

in billions o

dollars (2012)

Estimated percent

dierence between

disaster area median

household income and

U.S. median income

States with co

aected by $1 b

extreme weathe

1 Hurricane Sandy Oct-12 110 $30.0 18%CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, N

NY, RI, VA, VT, WV

2 Drought and heat wave (2012) 2012 86 $28.0 -7%AR, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN,

MT, NE, NM, OK, SD, T

3 Drought and heat wave (2011) 2011 95 $12.2 -6% AZ, KS, LA, NM, OK, T

4 Southeast/Midwest tornadoes April 25-28, 2011 321 $10.4 -9% AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, LA,OH, OK, TN, TX, VA

5 Hurricane Irene Aug-11 45 $10.0 24%CT, DC, MA, MD, NC, N

VA, VT

6Midwest tornadoes (including

Joplin)May 22-27, 2011 177 $9.3 0.4%

AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY,

OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, VA

7 Mississippi River ood May-11 7 $3.1 -18% AR, LA, MO, MS, TN

8Southeast/Midwest tornadoes and

severe stormsApril 4-5, 2011 9 $2.9 -11% GA, IL, KS, KY, MO, NC

9 Severe tornadoes and storms April 8-11, 2011 - $2.2 -13% AL, IA, KS, NC, OK, SC

10 Severe tornadoes and storms April 14-16, 2011 38 $2.1 -13%AL, AR, GA, MS, NC, O

TX, VA

11 Missouri River ood Summer 2011 5 $2.0 -4% IA, KS, MO, MT, ND, N12 Hurricane Isaac Aug-12 7 $2.0 -10% AL, FL, LA, MS

13 Groundhog Day blizzardFebruary 1-3,

201136 $1.8 0.1% IL, MO, NM, OK, WA, W

14 Severe storms and hail June 6-7, 13, 2012 - $1.7 9% CO, TX, WY

15 Severe tornadoes and storms March 2-3, 2012 39 $1.5 -7%AL, GA, FL, OH, IL, IN,

SC, TN, VA, WV

16 Severe tornadoes and storms June 18-22, 2011 3 $1.3 1%GA, IA, IL, KS, MO, NC

SC, TN, TX

17 Tropical Storm Lee Sep-11 21 $1.3 18%AL, CT, GA, LA, MD, M

PA, TN, VA

18 Wildre season* 2012 7 $1.1 9% CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, U

19 Wildre season* 2011 5 $1.0 -6% AZ, NM, TX

20 Severe tornadoes and storms July 10-14, 2011 2 $1.0 2% CO, IA, IL, MI, MN, OH

21 Severe tornadoes and storms April 3, 2012 - $1.0 -1% TX

Total 21 events - 1,013 $126 - 44 States

Note: U.S. Median household Income: $51,914; Median income gures are Census Bureau 2005-2010 average

*Wildres dened by NOAA as entire seasons costing $1 billion, rather than individual res. States included incurred at least $50 million incosts rom wildres in 2012.




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In he ollowing secions, we review he mos damaging exreme weaher evens

in he Unied Saes over he pas wo years, he household income o he counies

harmed by hem, and how climae change is increasing he requency and sever-

iy o hese devasaing disasers. We also explain why middle- and lower-income

Americans are disproporionaely harmed by exreme weaher evens.

In order o curb climae change and help communiies prepare or uure exreme

weaher evens, we propose a lis o policy recommendaions, deailed a he end

o his repor:

Te Obama adminisraion should promulgae he proposed carbon polluion

reducion sandard or new power plans 9

Te adminisraion should propose and promulgae carbon polluion sandards

or exising power plans and oil reneries

Exising inrasrucure should be hardened o become more resilien o oods,

severe sorms, and oher eecs o climae change

Congress should provide $5 billion annuallyull undingor he Low

Income Home Energy Assisance Program, or LIHEAP, o assis low-income

amilies wih higher uiliy bills due o exreme hea and cold

Te Obama adminisraion and Congress should oppose budge cus in he

Supplemenal Nuriion Assisance Program o ensure ha here is adequae

unding or Disaser SNAP ha assiss people harmed by naural disasers o

purchase ood

Congress should reauhorize he Naional Dam Saey Program and provide $1

billion annually o rehabiliae our rundown dam and levee inrasrucure ha

helps reduce ood risk

Flood insurance or primary homes o middle- and lower-income households

should be more aordable. A means-esed voucher program could help hem

purchase i

Replenish he Pre-Disaser Miigaion Program und, which enables local com-

muniies o evaluae heir disaser risks and develop plans o make hem more

resilien o exreme weaher damages. Tis annual unding should equal he

hree year average o ederal disaser recovery spending



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U.S. most damaging extreme

weather in 2011-2012

Extreme heat, drought, and wildfires

Ongoing hea, especially in he Midwes, has inensied drough condiions.

Nearly wo-hirds o he Unied Saes experienced severe or exreme drough

by Ocober 2012,10 and more han 50 percen o he counry was sill experiencing

drough condiions in early November 2012.11 Moreover, drough and hea wave

evens impaced areas wih households earning an average o $49,3405 percen

below he U.S. median annual household income o $51,914.

Te inense hea waves in 2011 and 2012 ook more han 181 lives and se a urry

o emperaure records across he naion.12 Te Unied Saes experienced he

warmes 12-monh period in hisory rom Sepember 2011 o Augus 2012.13

More han 28,000 daily high-emperaure records were mached or broken as o


September 2011 to August 2012 was the ho

12-month period in U.S. history

181 heat-related atalities occurred as part

wave events that caused more than $1 billi

ages in 2011 and 2012

Hal o the United States is still in moderate

worse as o November 1, 2012

Drought damages in 2012 alone are estima

between $28 billion and $77 billion

Fast actsExtreme heat and drought

Median household income or counties aected by billion-dollar extreme weather

events in 2011-2012*

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

* A NOAA ofcial indicated these counties as places most likely to be included in the administrations calculation o the $1 billion+ dam-ages rom the 2012 drought. Generally, these counties experienced the most severe drought, indicating the largest potential damages.


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Sepember 12, 2012.14 More han 80 million people lived in places ha reached

emperaures o 100 degrees Fahrenhei or more in 2011 and 2012.15 And rom

January 2012 hrough July 2012, daily record highs ounumbered daily record

lows 12-o-1.16 (see Box)

Sepember 2012 was he dries monh or Monana, Norh Dakoa, and SouhDakoa in 118 years o recordkeeping. I was he hird-dries monh or Nebraska

and Oregon. Mark Svoboda, a climaologis wih he Universiy o Nebraskas

Naional Drough Miigaion Cener, said ha soil moisure is such a major con-

cern ha armers in he Grea Plains are sruggling o decide i is even worh-

while o plan winer whea crops.17 Even he inense precipiaion rom Hurricane

Sandy did no provide relie or key arming saes as i skipped over he severe

drough in he Midwes.18

A Purdue Universiy economis esimaes ha he 2012 drough will cause up o

$77 billion in economic coss,19 and expers a he Universiy o Illinois predic haaxpayers will ulimaely be responsible or a leas $10 billion o hese coss.20 Te

U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure also projecs a lower corn harves as he droughs

impac becomes clearer. Farmers in some saes are seeing producion levels as low

as 37 percen below las years yields.21 Te chie U.S. economis a Deusche Bank

Securiies Inc. recenly said ha he 2012 drough will reduce U.S. economic growh

by up o 1 percenage poin his year, largely as a resul o reducions crop sales. 22

Even hough he drough is slowly improving, agronomiss cauion ha he

hrea has no passed. Farmers are hauned by some o he lowes levels o soil

moisure in yearsclimae expers say ha armers would need 5 o 6 ee o

snow on op o more han 15 inches o rain over he nex ew monhs jus o ge

back o normal.23 A U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure meeorologis old Reuers

ha i is highly unlikely ha we will see drough eradicaion by nex spring.24

In addiion o he adverse consequences or armers, hese evens also have signi-

can impacs on saes economies, paricularly hose heavily dependen on agricul-

ure. Te 2011 drough will have a lasing impac on exas agriculure, said ravis

Miller, an agronomis and member o exass Drough Preparedness Council.25

Boh exreme hea and droughs conribue o wildres, which have also dramai-

cally increased in recen years. High emperaures coupled wih low humidiy makes

uels rom rees and grasses very dry and ammable, ripening condiions or re.26



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Te 2012 wildre season was he wors in decades and broke records across

muliple saes. Colorado saw he mos desrucive wildre in is hisory burn 346

homes. New Mexico had he larges re in sae hisory, and Monana experienced

he mos acreage burned in he sae since 1910.27 Since 2011 more han 126,179

res have burned 17.7 million U.S. acresroughly he area o Massachusets, New

Hampshire, and Vermon combined.28

Te 2012 wildres were so exensive and severe ha he U.S. Deparmen o

Agriculure Fores Service ran ou o money o gh hem. Congress was auled

by oresry expers or providing only hal o he necessary $1 billion o batle

wildres in 2012, primarily due o relying on pas, lower reghing needs. Darryl

Fears oTe Washingon Poswries:

[Foresry expers] argued ha he radiional mehod ha members o an

appropriaions conerence commitee use o und wildre suppressionaverag-

ing he cos o ghing wildres over he previous 10 yearsis inadequae a

a ime when climae change is causing longer periods o dryness and drough,giving res more uel o burn and resuling in longer wildre seasons.29

Te households aeced by wildres in 2011 and 2012 earn an average o $50,410

annually3 percen below he U.S. median annual household income. In Augus


Wildires


events in 2011-2012*

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

17.7 million U.S. acres have burned in 2011

nearly the combined area o Massachusetts

Hampshire, and Vermont

126,179 individual res burned in 2011 and

October 31, 2012)

Seven states had wildres that burned thro

end o September 2012

Fast acts

*Wildres dened by NOAA as entire seasons costing $1 billion, rather than individual res. States included incurred at least$50 million in costs rom wildres in 2012.


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2012, or example, he desrucive res hi home, lierally and guraively, in

Norhern Cheyenne, Monana. Te Ash Creek Fire burned hrough a reservaion

where one in hree amilies lives below he povery line$11,170 or an indi-

vidual and $23,050 or a amily o ourand almos wo-hirds o he adul ribal

members are unemployed, making i difcul or residens o recover rom such a

cosly disaser.30

Reuers repored ha on op o aking lives and propery, res hreaen human

healh by pumping smoke, conaining noxious gases like carbon monoxide and

ne paricles, ino he mounain valleys.31 Recen wildres riggered numerous air

qualiy warnings in Idaho, Monana, and Wyoming.

Te 2011 wildre season also disproporionaely aeced lower-income areas. In

he rs week o Sepember 2011, he Basrop re raged in cenral exas, burning

more han 34,000 acres and consuming almos 1,700 homes.32 Te re broke he

exas record or he number o homes los due o a single re, in a couny where14 percen o he households are a or below he povery line.

A 2006 repor by he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure demonsraed ha low-

income communiies suer unequally rom wildres. I concluded ha ewer

resources are being allocaed in some regions o he poores ciizens in commu-

niies ha may need he mos assisance.33 And a 2001 sudy by he Cener or

Waershed and Communiy Healh conained similar ndings:

Wildres inensiy povery by having a pervasive, disproporionaely negaive

impac on hose households and communiies lacking adequae resources o

reduce he ammabiliy o nearby wild lands, re-proo homes and oher sruc-

ures, respond quickly when wildres occur, and recover om economic losses

resuling om res. Te impacs also go in he reverse direcion, wih povery

increasing he incidence o wildres, raising he coss o ghing res, and crea-

ing addiional risks or reghers.34

Tis is a major problem ha will coninue o grow over ime. Te Unied Saes

should expec ha larger wildres will occur more oen, according o a recen

repor rom he nonpro news and research organizaion Climae Cenral.35

Tesudy indicaes ha he Wesern wildre season now lass 10 weeks longer han in

he 1970s and ha big burns are likely o become he norm.36



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Harris Sherman, under secreary or naural resources and he environmen a

he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure, oversees he U.S. Fores Service and old Te

Washingon Posha he climae is changing, and hese res are a very srong indi-

caor o ha.37

Floods and extreme precipitation

Climae change has also increased he severiy o precipiaion evens. Kevin E.

renberh, senior scienis a he Naional Cener or Amospheric Research,

recenly noed:

All weaher evens are aeced by climae change because he environmen in

which hey occur is warmer and moiser han i used o be.

Te air is on average warmer and moiser han i was prior o abou 1970 and in

urn has likely led o a 510 % eec on precipiaion and sorms ha is grealyamplied in exremes. Te warm mois air is readily adveced ono land and

caugh up in weaher sysems as par o he hydrological cycle, where i conribues

o more inense precipiaion evens ha are widely observed o be occurring.38


Floods and extreme precipitation


events in 2011-2012

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

Fast acts

A single ood damaging a low-income ho

push that household below the poverty li

Mississippi River and Missouri River oods

billion in economic damages in 2011

Households in areas aected by the large

2011 and 2012 earn an average o 14 perc

the U.S. median annual household incom


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Te Mississippi River and Missouri River oods in he spring and summer o

2011 caused billions o dollars o damage, paricularly o lower-income home-

owners near he rivers. Te ypical household in areas ha suered rom hese

oods earns a saggering 14 percen below he U.S. median income, or roughly

$44,547 per year. (see Box)

As oodwaers rise o a cerain maximum level, here are emergency oules

spillways and oodwaysha can be opened o diver waers ou o rivers o

decrease heir volume o waer.39 In 2011 he high Mississippi River waer levels

led o he opening o all hree exising emergency ouleshe Bonne Carre

Spillway, he Morganza Floodway, and he Achaalaya Floodwayha release

rising waers rom he river. Tis was he rs ime in hisory ha he U.S. Army

Corps o Engineers opened all hree simulaneously o decrease he ood risk.40

Te Missouri River surged o ood levels unseen since recordkeeping began in 1898.

In June 2011 here was a record-breaking runo o 13.8 million acre-ee o waer, or4.5 rillion gallons, in Sioux Ciy, Iowa.41 Te previous high was in April 1952.42

As a resul o hese oods, armers downsream in Arkansas, Mississippi, and

Missouri suered combined damages o $1.5 billion.43 Arkansas and Mississippi

residens are paricularly economically vulnerable because households in he

disaser-declared counies in boh saes have average median incomes ha are 23

percen and 30 percen, respecively, below he U.S. median income.

TeWashingon Posrepored ha river ooding is making being poor in

Mississippi even harder.44 And TeBoson Globe said ha 9 o he 11 counies

ha ouch he Mississippi River in Mississippi have povery raes a leas double

he naional average.45 Similarly, researchers a Columbia Universiy ound ha a

single ood can knock low-income households below he povery line.46

Povery really makes a dierence in ones abiliy o survive hese evens, said Jerold

Kayden, a proessor a he Harvard Graduae School o Design.47 Poorer amilies are

less mobile, making i difcul or hem o leave heir homes and nd saey. Tey also

lack he nancial resources o proec hemselves rom major sorms and rebuild aer

a sorm his. As Scienic American concluded, Te poor are going o be rapped wihhaving los everyhing and will have no money or resources o recover.48

Moreover, ofcials say ha ooding is one o he mos expensive and mos com-

mon naural disasers.49 Sandard homeowner and rener insurance policies,

however, don cover ood damage. Insead, propery owners in ood-prone areas

10 Cn Amcan Pgss | havy Wa: hw Cma Dscn hams Mdd- and lw-incm Am


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are required o purchase addiional insurance hrough heir provider or rom he

Naional Flood Insurance Program.50

A Congressional Research Service repor noes ha he Federal Emergency

Managemen Agency lacks naionwide daa on he number o properies ha are

wihin oodplains. A Rand Corporaion sudy rom 2006, however, esimaes haabou 49 percen o properies in special ood hazard areas purchased insurance

rom he Naional Flood Insurance Plan. Special ood hazard areas are desig-

naed areas where homebuyers mus purchase ood insurance in order o receive

ederally backed morgages.51 Only 1 percen o properies ouside o hese areas

purchased ood insurance. Te Congressional Research Service indicaes ha

here is concern abou he large number o homes ha are no [ederally backed]

morgages and hus are no required o be insured agains ood risks.52

Hurricanes

Overall, hurricanes in 2011 and 2012 aeced higher-income areas, bumillions more Americans will be vulnerable o hese sorms in he uure.

According o he U.S. Census Bureau, 30 percen o he naions oal popu-laion lived in he Alanic and Gul Coass in 2010.53 Te populaion o


Tropical storms and hurricanes


events in 2011-2012

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

Hurricane Isaac inicted $2 billion in damag

stroyed 13,000 homes in Louisiana and Mis

September 2012; the average annual incom

households was 10 percent below the U.S.

annual household income

The journal Science predicts that the numb

egory 4 and category 5 hurricanes will dou

end o the century

Lower-income and rural residents generally

access to evacuation inormation in advanc

cal storms and hurricanes

Fast acts


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coasal waershed counies grew by 7.6 and 15.3 percen along he Alanicand Gul Coass, respecively, beween 2000 and 2010, and are projecedo coninue growing. And according o a new repor rom reinsurance rmMunich Re, here has been a 35% increase in he size o sorms in he Gulo Mexico since 1995.54

Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged he mid-Alanic region he week oOcober 29, 2012, is he laes in a line o recen exreme weaher evensha have severely aiced Americans in he pas wo years. Sandy isresponsible or a leas 110 aaliies in he Unied Saes and preliminaryesimaes indicae ha i caused $30 billion in propery damage.55 I could

be one o he coslies U.S. hurricanes ever.


Here are some ast acts to bear in mind about Hurricane Sandy:

Sandy resulted in at least 110 atalities in the continental United

States alone, in addition to 71 lives lost in the Caribbean

More than 1 million people in a dozen states were ordered to evacu-

ate their homes

8.5 million homes and businesses were without electricity at the

height o the storm

Hurricane Sandy, combined with a mid-Atlantic blizzard, slammed

over 20 states with high winds, record-breaking rains, and unseasonal

and heavy snowall.56 The storm may have been one o the most

severe to ever hit this region. Preliminary estimates indicate that it

could cause $30 billion in property damage, with less than one-hal

covered by insurance.57

The worst hit areas were Long Island, New Jersey, and New York City.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that Sandys devastation is

beyond anything I thought Id ever see the level o devastation atthe Jersey Shore is unthinkable.58

Although the average income level o households in areas hit

Sandy is well above the national median, there were multiple

income communities devastated by the storm. These places i

Atlantic City, New Jersey and Kings County, New York (Brookly

well as other parts o New York City. Residents in Atlantic City

Kings County earn 42 and 16 percent below the U.S. median h

hold income, respectively.

New York Citys economic divide is among the highest in the na

Many people who were orced to evacuate their homes couldnaord to stay in a hotel, miss work, or easily rebuild their dama

homes. Tens o thousands o people were stranded in the city

one week, without power, ood, and water. As journalist Michel

Chen noted, Residents levels o resilience to the stormthe ca

to absorb traumawill likely ollow the sharp peaks and valley

the city s economic landscape.60

Power outages spoiled ood or many residents throughout the

gion. Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro

were in particularly dire straights. The program uses swipe card

purchase items with ood stamps, but when the power is out, gstores can only accept cash.61 Additionally, the SNAP program h

diculty adding unds to the cards in a timely ashion. New Yo

Hurricane Sandy: The damages and atermath


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Andrew Cuomo ordered $65 million in new unds or storm victim

ood stamp recipients, but many still hadnt received them over a

week ater the storm hit. As a result, many people were orced to rely

on shelters and ood pantries.62

The Metropolitan Transit Authority transports an average o 8.7 mil-

lion riders on weekdays. But within hours o Sandy striking, seven

subway tunnels were ooded,63 and the subway may not be back

to ull capacity or weeks.64 The MTA described the situation as the

worst disaster in the subways 108-year history.65

Many lower- and middle-income residents rely on public transit

to travel to and rom employment, and purchase necessities. This

disruption is especially hard on hourly-wage workers, which make up

one-third o New York City s workorce.66

Many o these employeeswill not be paid unless they work, yet commuting to and rom em-

ployment may take hours rather than minutes due to public transpor-

tation disruptions.

New Jersey commuters also rely heavily on NJ Transit, which had 23

percent o its rail cars and 35 percent o its engines damaged or ru-

ined by Sandy.67 The train system typically ser ves more than 250,000

daily commuters.

Red Hookpart o Brooklynis home to the boroughs largest

housing project, o which roughly 4,000 o the 6,000 residents werewithout heat or water or over a week ater the storm. Although local

residences and businesses in Red Hook suered rom the ve-oot

oodwaters, just down the street, on the afuent side o town, a

majority o the area had power and some businesses even reopened

quickly.68 One public housing complex resident said this is a horrible

experience and that he has never seen anything like this in all my 70

years in Red Hook.69

Sandys destruction spread south along the Atlantic coastline. Atlantic

Ocean storm surges relentlessly ooded one o Atlantic Citys poor-

est neighborhoods while casinos and beachront properties were

mostly shielded rom the storm. Overall, about 25 percent o the

citys population lives below the poverty line.70 One o the hardest hit

neighborhoods is home to some o the city s poorest residents, many

o whom are black or Hispanic,Bloomberg Businessweekrepo

The Army Corps o Engineers proposed a 1,600-oot seawall to

tect residents rom storm surges like Sandy almost 20 years ago

was never built due to lack o money. Linda Steele, president o

Atlantic City NAACP chapter, told Bloomberg that construction

demonstrate that the government overlooked the needs o the

and instead, gave priority to protable gambling resorts.

In addition to these direct costs, there are huge public health im

rom ooding. One example is evident in several low-lying area

throughout New York. Over 600,000 people live and work in six

munities deemed Signicant Maritime and Industrial Areas. Th

predominantly minority communities are ound throughout th

South Bronx, Newtown Creek, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Red Hook, S

Park, and Staten Island.72

Floods brought water badly contaminby raw sewage and toxic chemicals including mercury. Dee Van

burg, president o the Staten Island Taxpayers Association, said

spreading contamination in heavily populated areas will get to

point where people get sick, so health care costs go up.73

Elected ocials rom one o the hardest hit regionsNew York

Citymade the connection between Hurricane Sandy and clim

change. New York Governor Cuomo observed, part o learning

this [disaster] is the recognition that climate change is a reality

Extreme weather is a reality.74

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg went urther, warning

Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme wea

we have experienced in New York City and around the world ma

or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be given th

weeks devastation should compel all elected leaders to take i

mediate action.75

Some climate scientists explain that climate change increased

erocity. Dr. Kevin E. Trenberth o the National Center or Atmos

Research noted the warming Atlantic Ocean surace temperatu

provides the optimal conditions or a huge intense storm, enh

by global warming inuences.76

Continued: Hurricane Sandy: The damages and atermath


17/60

Jus wo monhs beore Sandy hi he easern seaboard, Hurricane Isaac slammed

ino he Gul o Mexico, hiting lower-income counies here wih households ha

earn an average o $46,685 per year10 percen less han he median U.S. annual

household income.Isaac ripped up he Mississippi and Louisiana coass, causingan esimaed $2 billion in losses.77 Te sorm damaged a leas 13,000 homes and

disruped elecriciy or 903,000 homes and businesses.78

One o he areas hi hardes by Hurricane Isaac was S. Johns Bapis Parish,

Louisiana. Te eecs o he sorm lingered in he region or days, engulng homes

wih waer up o our ee deep. Eleven percen o he parishs households are below

he povery line and only 35 percen o is residens have ood insurance. 79

In Augus 2011 Hurricane Irene roared up he Eas Coas o he Unied Saes.

Te price o his mammoh sorm sysems high winds and ood-inducing rains

was nearly $10 billion.80 In Norh Carolina alone, he sorm orced housands

o businesses o close and desroyed 1,100 homes.81 In oal, a leas 7.4 millionhomes los elecriciy due o he sorm.82 Well-heeled areas o New Jersey were

among he areas hi hardes by he sorm. Povery-sricken communiies, such as

Paerson, New Jerseywhere one-hird o he households are below he povery

linewere hi oo.83 Irene also inundaed some less-well-o-do pars o Vermon,

where households on average earn 6 percen below he naional median income.

Te evidence demonsraing Irene harmed lower-income households includes

a repor rom Virginia Commonwealh Universiy, which says he hurricane

caused exreme demands on he Cenral Virginia Food Bank ha assiss lower-

income households:

Given he recen repors o increases in povery, especially children living in

povery, compounded by he devasaion o Hurricane Irene, we learned o he

exreme demands on he Cenral Virginia Food Bank o provide or people in

Cenral Virginia, [vice provos Cahy] Howard said.84

ropical Sorm Lee ollowed closely on he heels o Irene, orcing more han

120,000 beleaguered easerners o evacuae o avoid dangerous ash oods.85

Heavy rains soaked coton elds in Virginia and Souh Carolina and pushed heprice o coton uures o a wo-monh high, according o TeWall Sree Journal.86

In all, he ropical sorm caused more han $1.3 billion in damages, much o which

was uninsured.87



18/60

Well ino 2012, many amilies who los heir homes during Lee were sill srug-

gling wih housing, according o Sen. Krisin Gillibrand (D-NY). In response,

she proposed a low-income housing ax credi similar o he one enaced aer

Hurricane Karina in 2005.88 Voluneers in July 2012 cied more han 39 homes in

York Couny, Pennsylvania, alone ha sill needed o be repaired aer Lee.89

In he wake o he sorm, he New York Sae Energy Research and Developmen

Auhoriy released a repor saing, Minoriies and low-income residens end o

live in areas vulnerable o ooding in New York Ciy and upsae. rural resi-

dens and small owns are less able o cope wih exreme evens such as oods, ice

sorms and droughs.90

Unorunaely, a disconnec also exiss beween shrinking insurance coverage

and increasing need or disaser relie. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) noed ha

he souhern Unied Saes has a low percenage o homes wih hazard insurance,

which covers physical propery damage incurred by incidens like re, lighning,and wind. 91 A a July 2011 hearing o he Subcommitee on Disaser Recovery and

Inergovernmenal Aairs, she said:

Te souhern Unied Saes, where many o hese sorms hi, has he lowes haz-

ard insurance absorpion rae o any region in he counry, a 82.6% compared

o 96% naionwide, and in many pars o he Souh, povery and unemploymen

raes vasly exceed he naional average.92

Te Louisiana senaor added ha i is criical ha our naion nd a susainable

mehod o nance disaser risk or all segmens o he populaion.

Te damages rom ropical sorms will likely increase, as scieniss predic hese

sorms will become ercer as climae change coninues o warm he oceans.

Science predics ha he number o caegory 4 and caegory 5 sorms will double

by he end o his cenury.93 And a 2010 sudy commissioned by he World

Meeorological Organizaion and published in he peer-reviewed scienic journal

Naure Geoscience conrms ha besides subsanial increases in he requency o

he mos inense cyclones, we can expec rainall o increase by up o 20 per-

cen in areas up o 60 miles rom a sorms cener.94

Te Naional Oceanic andAmospheric Adminisraion adds ha a 2 percen o 11 percen increase in he

mean maximum wind speed o hurricanes is also likely wih projeced 21s cen-

ury warming.95



19/60

Joseph Romm, Senior Fellow a he Cener or American Progress and edior o

Climae Progress, agrees ha climae change makes he deadly sorms more severe,

and ha is going o ge much worse.96 Sea level rise rom polar ice meling will

make sorm surges more desrucive, and higher sea surace emperaures will

ampliy rainall as well as ooding. Is a righening prospec o ciizens and ederal

coers alike. Romm sresses ha preserving he habiabiliy o he Gul and SouhAlanic Coas pos-2050 means he ime o ac on climae change is now.97

Heavier winter storms yet milder winters

A large winer sorm impaced 22 cenral, easern, and norheasern U.S. saes in

early February 2011, leading o a leas 36 aaliies and causing $2 billion in eco-

nomic damages. I resuled in Chicagos hird-larges snow accumulaion ever

he wo ee o snow rom he sorm brough he ciy o a sandsill. More han 20

inches o snow accumulaed in pars o Oklahoma. A one poin he snowsormblankeed 2,000 square miles covering 22 saes wih snow. More han 375,000

households los power due o snow, ice, and powerul winds.98 Te sorm aeced

areas wih middle-class households ha earn an average income equal o he U.S.

median household income, or roughly $51,977 per year.


Heavier winter storms yet milder winters


events in 2011-2012

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

The Groundhogs Day Blizzard o 2011 was t

snow storm in Chicagos history, leaving 375holds without power; it blanketed 22 states

In many places, climate change will bring m

winters and severely harm ski resort tourism

2011-12 season having 15.7 percent ewer

across the country

Fast acts


20/60

Winer sorms inic direc and indirec coss on already cash-srapped sae and

local governmens, and hese coss increase dramaically in years wih heavier-

han-average snowsorms. In addiion, he American Highway Users Alliance

ound ha sae economies lose up o $700 million or each day o shudowns

rom winer sorms. Coss include los wages, los sales and sales ax revenue, and

snow-relaed business closures.99

o make maters worse, his snowpack, combined wih above-average spring

precipiaion, resuled in signican ooding (previously described) across he

Norhern Plains and he Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys in lae spring 2011.100

A Naional Wildlie Federaion repor auhored by climae scienis Amanda

Saud and wo oher scieniss describes climae changes impac on winer

weaher as seemingly peculiar,101 because i leads o heavier ye less predicable

precipiaion evens. Tis peculiariy was el in he las ew years, which brough

several unusually heavy snowsorms.

Large, unpredicable snowsorms aren he only winerime sympom o a warm-

ing climae, however. While big sorms can arrive unexpecedly, winer seasons

overall have been increasingly milder as winerime emperaures increase, par-

icularly across he norhern par o he Unied Saes.102

Tis seasonal variabiliy has huge implicaions or oudoor recreaion and our-

ism indusries. Americans spend more on snow spors ($53 billion) han hey do

on huning and shing combined ($40.3 billion), according o an analysis by he

Oudoor Indusry Associaion.103 Ski resors and oher oudoor recreaion compa-

nies need a long, consisen snow season o make a pro.

Te 2011-12 ski season was he wors in 20 years due o an average snowall ha was

41 percen lower han he previous winer season. Five ou o every six ski resors

naionwide had ewer visiors han he previous winer season as wellTe Denver

Posrepored ski resor visiors across he counry declined by 15.7 percen. Also as a

resul o he lower snowall, hal o he counrys resors opened lae and closed early.

Te average number o days ha resors were open ell 7.5 percen.104

TePosindicaed ha ski operaors hope ha 2011-12 will remain he wors or

anoher 20 years and ha he ollowing year will be beter. Naional Oceanic and

Amospheric Adminisraion ofcials, however, predic ha he 2012-13 win-

er season could be anoher warm one, in he Midwes and Wes, as he curren



21/60

drough is expeced o persis and possibly expand wesward ino ski counry in

Idaho, Monana, and elsewhere. Deke Arnd, chie o climae monioring or he

Naional Oceanic and Amosphere Adminisraions Climaic Daa Cener, says I

is likely ha 2012 will be he warmes o he 118-year record or he coniguous

Unied Saes.105

Tornadoes and severe storms

Te relaionship beween ornadoes and a warming climae is less clear han or

oher exreme weaher evens, bu Kevin E. renberh o he Naional Cener or

Amospheric Research does believe ha here is a connecion. As he old Climae

Progress: Wha we can say wih condence is ha heavy and exreme precipia-

ion evens oen associaed wih hundersorms and convecion are increasing

and have been linked o human-induced changes in amospheric composiion.106

Harold Brooks, a research meeorologis a he Naional Oceanic and

Amospheric Adminisraion, agreed ha a warmer climae increases sorm energy

and hereore expecs ha here will be more environmens ha are avorable or

severe hundersorms.107


Tornadoes and severe storms


events in 2011-2012

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

$0-$20,000

$20,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

More than $80,000

Joplin, Missouri, which experienced the dea

tornado in U.S. history in May 2011, has a p

o 19.6 percent

Hal o tornado deaths nationwide occur to

o mobile homes

A warming climate helped uel the erce, e

o tornado outbreaks in 2012, according to

Underground meteorologist Dr. Je Master

Fast acts


22/60

In March 2012 USA oday repored ha []he USAs reakishly warm winer may

have played a role in he erociy o las weeks early-season ornado oubreaks. 108

I cied meeorologis Je Maser who noed ha a key ingredien or ornado

ormaion is he presence o warm, mois air near he surace, which helps make

he amosphere unsable. A warming Alanic Ocean yields such condiions.

Cerainly, he Unied Saes has experienced a higher rae o ornadoes and severe

sorms hese pas wo springs, wih esimaed oal damages exceeding $32 billion.

And hese massive sorms are aecing middle- and lower-income households. On

average, hese severe rainsorms and ornadoes harmed counies wih households

ha earn abou $50,293 annually3 percen less han he U.S. median annual

household income.

Families ha live in unproeced srucureshose wihou access o a basemen

or shelerare especially vulnerable o ornadoes. Specically, Naional Weaher

Service daa shows ha he percenage o aaliies involving mobile homes isincreasing. A Norhern Illinois Universiy sudy ound ha 50 percen o all aali-

ies during ornadoes occur in mobile homes.109

Furhermore, while higher-income amilies have insurance o replace los homes,

urniure, and belongings, lower-income amilies oen do no. I dropped he

insurance on he house because I couldn pay i no more. Te economy go me,

said Rober Jamison o Norh Birmingham, Alabama, whose house was desroyed

in an Alabama ornado on May 5, 2011.110 In he aermah o ornadoes, vul-

nerable people were even more vicimized. A Kansas Ciy newspaper repored

ha aer he 2011 ornadoes, evicions spiked and rens soared. Scam ariss

vicimize[d] homeowners, and some landlords [ook] advanage o reners.111

Tough he ornadoes in 2012 were ar less desrucive compared o hose in 2011,

severe sorms during he 2012 seasonlae winer o early summersill iniced

more han $1 billion in damages each.112 Tree evens in 2012 hi he Souh and

Midwes in he spring o 2012, resuling in a combined $4.2 billion in damages.

Te Naional Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion repored ha here

were an unusually high number o ornadoes in he Souheas in he early par o2012he January 2012 ornado oal o 95 was almos hree imes more han he

19912010 annual average o 35 or he monh o January.113 Te seasons desruc-

ive aciviy coninued hrough lae June. In jus 48 hours in early March 2012,

132 ornadoes swep hrough he Ohio River Valley and he Souheas,114 inic-

ing 40 aaliies and $1.5 billion in damages.115 One monh laer, 21 ornadoes



23/60


ore up he Dallas-For Worh region, leaving 28,000 homes wihou power and

causing an esimaed $1 billion in damages.116 In early June 2012, wo hailsorms

in he Souhwes dropped baseball size pelles on Colorado, exas, and Wyoming

resuling in $1.7 billion in damages.117

In April and May 2011, he Midwes experienced an asounding 1,065 ornadoes,causing more han $26 billion in damages.118 Tere were 553 ornado aaliies in

2011he second highes loss o lie rom ornados in a single year.119

Te single deadlies ornado in U.S. hisory hi Joplin, Missouri in May 2011,

aking 157 lives.120 According o Census daa,Joplin has a median annual house-

hold income o $36,88429 percen below he U.S. median.121 Te ciys povery

rae is almos 20 percen, wih even greaer economic disress in he oulying

areas.122 ina Beer, operaions direcor or he Missouri Housing Developmen

Commission, said Te ornado [in Joplin, Missouri] could no have picked a

wors pah o go hrough as i relaes o aordable housing.123

Alabama bore he larges loss o lie rom ornadoes ou o any U.S. sae during he

pas wo years, wih 241 aaliies in 2011. o make maters worse, many Alabamans

are no paricularly well-prepared o cope wih he resuling nancial burden rom

damages. Tiry-six o he 42 Alabama counies aeced by hese ornadoes in 2011

have povery raes higher han he naional average. In ac, 14 o he Alabama coun-

ies hi by ornadoes in 2011 have povery raes above 20 percen. 124

TeWall Sree Journal repored ha one badly batered communiy was

Birmingham, Alabama, where 26 percen o he populaion lives below he

povery line.125 Birmingham is sill sruggling o rebuild rom 2011 sorms.

Birminghams re marshal, C.W. Mardis, said he people ha are newly homeless

rom he sorms are unlikely o have he nancial capaciy o rebuild. He noed

ha hey need governmen assisance ha may ake a long ime o arrive.126


24/60

Extreme weather is the new normal

Te disasers o 2011 and 2012 serve as a ragicand expensiveoreshadowing

o uure weaher disasers in wha has become he new climae normal.127

Te American Meeorological Sociey 2011 Sae o he Climae repor was

compiled by nearly 400 scieniss in 48 counries.128 Tis annual repor was also

accompanied by he rs-ever separae analysis, Explaining Exreme Evens o

2011 rom a Climae Perspecive. Tis documen explains how climae change

inuences key weaher evens, including major droughs in he Unied Saes.

Te analysis examines six global weaher crises in 2011, wih he exas drough

ha lased hal he year represening he only U.S. even.129 Peer Sot, climae

monioring and atribuion eam leader a he Unied Kingdoms Naional Weaher

Service, said in reerence o he exas drough, Such a hea wave is now around

20 imes more likely during a La Nia year han i was during he 1960s. we

have shown ha climae change has indeed alered he odds o some o he evens

ha have occurred.130

Addiionally, amospheric concenraions o carbon dioxide polluion and oher

greenhouse gases are already having a devasaing eec on our naion and plane.

According o sandards se by he World Meeorological Organizaion, climae

normals are he emperaure averages o a 30-year span.131 Raher han chang-

ing annually, hese averages shi each decade o reec he counrys new ypi-

cal climae. Te climae normal or he previous decade released by he Naional

Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion in 2011 show ha 20012010 was he

warmes decade on record.132

A seemingly incremenal shi in ri-decadal climae normal weaher paterns,however, can have disasrous implicaions or he weaher. Warmer air holds more

moisure, so as amospheric emperaures rise, here is more waer available o uel

sorms, increasing he inensiy and requency o precipiaion evens. Frequen

soaking leaves he soil unable o absorb more moisure, resuling in heavier runo



25/60

and waer polluion. When hese orrenial downpours occur as snow, hey creae

more snowpack han usual and can cause devasaing springime oods such as

hose in Norh Dakoa and Mississippi in 2011.133

Hea waves and droughs are also sympoms o a heaing plane, such as 2012s

record-breaking drough. A recen sudy rom he journalNaure indicaes ha heUnied Saes will suer a series o severe droughs over he nex wo decades.134

wo addiional sudies in he las ew years deermined ha:

By cenurys end, exreme emperaures o up o 122F would hreaen mos o

he cenral, souhern, and wesern U.S. Even worse, Houson and Washingon,

DC could experience emperaures exceeding 98F or some 60 days a year.

Much o Arizona would be subjeced o emperaures o 105F or more or 98

days ou o he year14 ull weeks.135

A number o major sudies indicae ha he Souhwes and pars o he Midwesare headed o susained, or near permanen, drough and dus bowl-like condi-

ions i we remain on our curren emissions pah.136 Meeorologis Je Masers

warns ha he increased requency and inensiy o hese droughs will lead

o increases in he amoun o damage and economic hardship or he Unied

Saes.137 Te Naional Cener or Amospheric Research concluded ha dus-

bowlicaion could be he wors and mos devasaing impac o human-caused

climae change. And Aiguo Dai, climae scienis wih he Naional Cener or

Amospheric Research, warns ha he U.S. may never again reurn o he rela-

ively we condiions experienced rom 1977 o 1999.138

A recen Naional Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion-led sudy ound

ha shiing wind paterns in he Arcic could increase exreme weaher evens

in Norh America, such as heavy snowall, ooding, and hea waves.139 Jennier

Francis, research proessor a Rugers Universiy, said ha his presens:

sark evidence ha he gradual emperaure increase is no he imporan

sory relaed o climae change; is he rapid regional changes and increased

equency o exreme weaher ha global warming is causing. [we can expec]

increased probabiliy o exreme weaher evens across he norhern hemi-sphere, where billions o people live.

For hese reasons, i is essenial ha we ace he realiy o hese climae normals.

Failing o prepare or increased disasers will lead o increase in injury and aali-

ies and huge economic coss.



26/60

Children, the elderly, the inrm, and lower-income people are muchmore vulnerable to health impacts rom climate change than the rest

o the population. Though the ull range o health eects and eco-

nomic costs rom climate change are not yet ully known, we know

that health harms rom extreme weather impacts are on the rise. The

World Health Organization explains that the overall health eects

o a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative.140

Scientists agree that key health risks include:

Increases in airborne and insect-borne illnesses

Doubled asthma attack rates and a longer asthma season

Cardiovascular and respiratory disease rom extreme high air tem-

peratures

Threatened access to clean drinking water

Increase in hospitalizations that results in rising health care costs141

This year, the West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness, has been

particularly prevalent in the United States. There have been 5,054

reported cases o West Nile illnesses in the United States this year

as o November 6, 2012, with 228 deathsthe highest in nearly a

decade.142 Outbreaks in the United States are relatively new to the

western hemisphere, as the rst cases were reported in 1999toms include headaches, high ever, joint pain, u-like symp

occasionally even death.

Higher temperatures and drought conditions increase the bre

ground or mosquitoes that can carry and transmit the disease

one might assume droughts would reduce mosquito populati

actually the exact opposite. Scientifc American reports that t

mary mosquito transmitter o West Nile transmission is Culex p

species that especially thrives in drought conditions.143

As the late Paul Epstein, associate director o the Center or Hand the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, expl

We have good evidence that the conditions that ampliy the

lie cycle o the disease are mild winters coupled with prolon

droughts and heat wavesthe long-term extreme weather

ena associated with climate change.144

Warmer weather also amplies the potential or the virus to

extension o mosquito breeding season, aster mosquito ma

to reach the biting stage, aster multiplication o the virus ins

quitoes, and larger mosquito niches extending into higher a

As a result, there are more biting mosquitoes with more cop

virus in more places during a longer season due to climate c

Sick o climate change: Health risks, including West Nile breakout



27/60

Middle- and lower-income Americans more

vulnerable to extreme weather events

Over he pas wo years, 16 saes experienced ve or more billion-dollar exreme

weaher evens. Te households in he counies in he declared disaser areas in

hese saes earn an average o 7 percen less han he U.S. median household

income. Tese saes are ranked by oal economic damages rom he mos severe

weaher evens.

Table 3

States that experienced ive or more extreme weather events in 2011and 2012

Majority o counties slammed with multiple extreme weather events were home to

middle- and lower-income households

Rank StatePercentage o state

population aectedExtreme weather events

Total number o

events

Estimated median

household income

o aected counties

Percentage dif

tween estimat

area median h

income and U

1 Texas 100%Drought, severe

weather*, wildre10 $50,499 -3%

2 Illinois 94%Drought, severe

weather, winter storm

9 $57,479 11%

3 Georgia 67%Drought, severe

weather, tropical storm8 $51,228 1%

4 Missouri 100%Flood, severe weather,

winter storm8 $47,118 -9%

5 Oklahoma 100%Drought, severe

weather, winter storm8 $43,276 -17%

6 Tennessee 86%Flood, severe weather,

tropical storm8 $43,063 -17%

7 Kansas 98%Flood, drought, severe

weather7 $50,967 -2%

8 Virginia 95%Severe weather, tropical

storm

7 $65,783 27%

9 Alabama 100%Severe weather, tropical

storm6 $42,793 -18%

10 Mississippi 92%Flood, drought, severe

weather, tropical storm6 $39,378 -24%



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Rank StatePercentage o state

population aectedExtreme weather events

Total number o

events

Estimated median

household income

o aected counties

Percentage dif

tween estimat

area median h

income and U

11 North Carolina 55%Severe weather, tropical

storm6 $46,189 -11%

12 Arkansas 86%Flood, drought, severe

weather

5 $39,807 -23%

13 Iowa 61%Flood, drought, severe

weather5 $50,118 -4%

14 Lousiana 100%Flood, drought, severe

weather, tropical storm5 $43,927 -15%

15 New Mexico 100%Drought, wildre, winter

storm5 $44,592 -14%

16 South Carolina 99% Severe weather 5 $53,969 4%

Average 90% - $48,137 -7%

*Severe weather includes tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and hail

Note: U.S. Median household Income: $51,914; Median income gures are Census Bureau 2005-2010 average


Disaser aid, while essenial, canno eradicae he damages ha severe weaher

delivers o he lives and livelihoods o middle- and lower-income Americans. In

addiion o causing aaliies and injuries, recen exreme weaher evens dam-

aged propery, incurred cleanup and healh care coss, orced los workdays, and

drove up ood prices.146 Tese disasers are a drain on he incomes o middle-

class Americans.

Exreme weaher is a growing hrea o homeowners and reners, as repors show

ha insurance companies could be on he verge o ailing he very people heyre

mean o proec because o oudaed risk models ha do no accuraely ake ino

accoun climae change impacs, and hereore do no provide enough coverage o

help amilies recover all damages rom increasingly severe and/or requen sorms.147

In an inerview wih he Cener or American Progress, Russ Johnson, global

direcor o public saey and disaser response a he Environmenal Sysems

Research Insiue explained ha exreme weaher disasers have huge long-erm

consequences or lower-income communiies:

ypically, when large disasers occur, afer wo monhs, hree monhs, when he

sory goes away, he long-erm recovery can ake yearssomeimes decades

and hose sories aren old well. And who is mos impaced by hose [evens]?



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Well, is he lower-income olks who have he leas abiliy o deal wih i. 148

Tese ndings reec a cruel phenomenon someimes called he climae gap

he concep ha climae change has a disproporionae and unequal impac

on socieys less orunae.149 Krisina Scot, execuive direcor o he Alabama

Povery Projec, said ha in general, naural disasers hi high povery communi-ies he hardes.150 Naural disasers in he Unied Saes have a signican impac

on hose who are leas able o anicipae, prepare or, and recover rom hem.

Lower-income households are requenly less resilien o naural disasers because

hey oen lack insurance, access o healh care, and nancial savings.

A 2006 survey rom he Naional Associaion o Counies ound ha counies

rely on ederal suppor or disaser relie, wih beween 58 percen and 84 percen

o U.S. counies paricipaing in ederal relie programs. Te repor noed ha

counies are ill equipped o assis he mos vulnerable people. I ound ha mos

couny disaser plans do no address special populaions. Tis is especially rue orminoriies, non-English-speaking persons, [and] homeless and indigen per-

sons.151 Less han 25 percen o counies naionwide have specic plans o mee

he needs o hese people.152

Lower-income households ace greaer risk rom exreme weaher evens. For

insance, lower-income people are more vulnerable o exreme hea, as some can-

no aord air condiioners or he elecriciy o run hem. A 2009 repor rom he

Universiy o Souhern Caliornia ound ha households in he lowes income

bracke use more han wice he proporion o heir oal income on [energy

coss] han households in he highes income bracke.153

Teir exposure o high emperaures can lead o hea sroke, exremely high body

emperaures, unconsciousness, and even deah.154 Wihou public assisance o

help hem pay heir elecriciy bills, low-income residens are being orced o orgo

air condiioning and anshe very ools essenial o proec hem during danger-

ous hea waves. Te Associaed Press repored ha such assisance was swily

cu ou o sae budges in Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma, some o he saes hi

hardes by hea waves over he pas several years.155

Advocaes or lower-income people believe ha his lack o resources increases

he risk rom hea waves. Kansas Ciy Mayor Sly James old Naional Public Radio

during a 2011 hea wave ha generally, he olks who have died have been hose

who have been less able o proec hemselves agains he hea or lack o air condi-

ioning, ans, [and] cool places.156



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Proecion rom exreme emperaures is an issue in he winer as well. Te Energy

Inormaion Adminisraion recenly projeced ha households will need o spend

nearly 20 percen more on heaing oil and 15 percen more on naural gas his

coming winer due o higher prices and colder emperaures.157

Higher uel coss will especially hur he low-income amilies who receive helppaying heir heaing and cooling bills rom he Low Income Home Energy

Assisance Program, commonly called LIHEAP. Congress cu his programs

unding by $1.6 billionor 30 percenbeween 2011 and 2012, resuling in

more han 1 million households losing benes enirely.158 Funding will remain a

his inadequae level unil a leas March 2013 due o he coninuing resoluion

(Public Law 112-175) ha unds he ederal governmen and is programs.159

Te Supplemenal Nuriion Assisance Program, or SNAP, commonly reerred o as

ood samps, is anoher vial program o help low-income amilies survive exreme

weaher evens. As he Food Research and Acion Cener noes, Te DisaserSNAP/Food Samp Program provides replacemen benes or regular ood samp

recipiens who lose ood in a disaser and exends benes o many households

which would no ordinarily be eligible bu suddenly need ood assisance.160

Unorunaely, he House-passed budge or scal year 2013 would slash SNAP

unding by $134 billion over he nex decade.161 Tis would endanger unding or

his vial program ha helps middle- and lower-income amilies purchase ood

aer a naural disaser.



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Reducing climate change risks

We must reduce climate change pollution

Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) recenly issued a repor

ha oulined he pas years record-seting exreme weaher evens in an atemp

o educae he public and press abou he growing healh and economic hreas

posed by climae change.162 Te wo represenaives urge he adopion o domesic

indusrial carbon polluion reducion sandards. Rep. Waxman warned ha he

evidence is overwhelming climae change is occurring and i is occurring now.

Te recen billion-dollar naural disasers are helping Americans undersand he

connecion beween exreme weaher and climae change. A new poll by George

Mason Universiy and Yale Universiy nds ha a large and growing major-

iy75 perceno Americans say global warming is aecing weaher in he

Unied Saes.163 One in ve Americans says ha hey have suered harm o heir

healh, propery, and/or nances rom he pas years hea wave.

Te Obama adminisraion has already aken he rs concree seps o reduce

carbon polluion. In 2009 i adoped he goal o cuting U.S. emissions by 17 percen

below 2005 levels by 2020.164 As o he end o 2011, he Unied Saes was abou

halway oward ha goal.165 Te Energy Inormaion Adminisraion repored ha

carbon emissions decreased while he economy was growing, which means he

carbon inensiy o he economy ell. Te Energy Inormaion Adminisraion ur-

her explained ha he decrease was mainly a resul o using less energy, or in some

cases, using less carbon-inensive energy, o achieve he same economic oupu.166

o achieve hese polluion reducions, he Obama adminisraion adoped he

rs-ever carbon polluion sandards or moor vehicles, which will reduce emis-sions by 6 billion ons over he lie o cars buil rom 2017 o 2025.167 Te adminis-

raion also proposed he rs-ever reducion in carbon polluion rom new power

plans.168 I mus nalize his proposal and propose and adop reducion sandards

or exising power plans and oil reneries.



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In addiion, invesmens in wind, solar, and oher clean sources has doubled he

amoun o nonhydropower renewable elecriciy generaed in he Unied Saes.

Finally, low naural gas prices led many uiliies o swich rom coal o gas, which

can also reduce emissions.169

Some saes are also aking seps o reduce heir carbon polluion. en Norheasand Mid-Alanic saesconaining one-sixh o he U.S. populaion ha

produces one-h o he naions GDPbegan he Regional Greenhouse Gas

Iniiaive in 2009.170 I is he rs U.S. marke-based program o reduce carbon

dioxide polluion rom power plans. Tis program cu harmul polluion by 23

percen in is rs hree years and also beneed sae economies by producing

$1.6 billion in ne benes and adding abou 16,000 new jobs.171 Evaluaions o

he program show an average o $3 o $4 in benes or every $1 invesed in i by

power plans.172

Caliornia is implemening is Global Warming Soluions Ac, commonlyreerred o by is bill number, A.B. 32.173 I requires he sae o reduce carbon pol-

luion levels o 1990 levels by 2020, which means cuting abou 80 million meric

ons o greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.174 o achieve his level o reducion,

Caliornia requires polluion cus rom moor vehicle uels, landlls, por opera-

ions, and oher sources. Te sae will soon implemen a cap and rade sysem

o lower polluion rom oil reneries, power plans, and oher indusrial sources.

Increase resilience from extreme weather events

I is essenial o slash carbon polluion responsible or climae change o preven

is wors impacs. Since exreme weaher and oher global warming eecs are

already underway, however, i is clear ha even a promp and seep drop in pol-

luion is inadequae o proec Americans rom hese harms. We mus also make

invesmens o help Americans cope wih he new climae change normal. Tis

includes hardening our inrasrucure so ha buildings, roads, airpors, and waer

reamen plans can wihsand he increasingly requen and/or inense exreme

weaher ha scieniss ell us will coninue o worsen as he plane warms.

Te Unied Saes has huge inrasrucure invesmen needs, rom rebuilding high-

ways o updaing our dam and levee sysems.175 Rehabiliaed or new inrasruc-

ure should be buil employing more resilien designs ha can wihsand exreme

weaher evens.



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For insance, he design and consrucion o any new or rehabiliaed buildings,

roads, or oher srucures in coasal areas should accoun or he poenial or severe

sorms and sea level rise. Plans or new or rebuil drinking waer or sewage rea-

men inrasrucure in he arid Souhwes should anicipae he poenial or uure

droughs. Likewise, planning uel producion or elecriciy generaion rom heavily

waer-dependen echnologies, including rom coal or nuclear power plans, as wellas oil and gas drilling should accoun or he poenial or uure droughs.

Protect lower-income households

I is also essenial ha Congress proec lower-income households, paricularly

hose wih children, senior ciizens, and people wih disabiliies rom exreme

hea and winer sorms. Fully unding he Low Income Home Energy Assisance

Program, or LIHEAP, would provide hese people wih he resources o pay or

cooling and heaing during exreme weaher evens. I would cos $5 billion annu-ally o ully proec hese vulnerable people. For perspecive, special ax breaks or

Big Oil companies cos he U.S. reasury Deparmen $4 billion per year, includ-

ing nearly wo-hirds going o he ve larges oil companiesBP plc, Chevron

Corp., ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil Corp., and Royal Duch Shell Groupwhich

earned a record-high $137 billion in pros in 2011.176

In addiion, he presiden and Congress should oppose budge cus o he

Supplemenal Nuriion Assisance Program o ensure adequae unding or

Disaser SNAP assisance or middle- and lower-income amilies suering rom

damages or los income due o exreme weaher evens.

Insurance policies should reflect new risks

Fuure homeowners and reners insurance policies mus also reec he coming

increase in exreme weaher due o climae change. Ceres, a nonpro advocae

o susainable business pracices, recenly repored ha he insurance indusrys

pricing models ollow oudaed and lower risk assessmens ha under predic

he poenial or exreme weaher damage. Insurance companies are also sar-ing o decline or limi coverage o homes or businesses locaed in places prone o

exreme weaher.



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o avoid his, insurance models should be required o use he laes available daa

or risk-analysis projecions. Ceres also argues ha he insurance indusry isel

should be aggressively lobbying or updaed building codes, beter ederal [adapa-

ion] policies, and reducing carbon emissions. Failure o do so will resul in major

losses or homeowners, axpayers, and he insurance companies hemselves.177

Flood insurance reforms

In July 2012 Congress passed and Presiden Barack Obama signed he Bigger-

Waers Flood Insurance Reorm Ac o 2012 as par o Public Law 112-141.178

I reauhorizes he Naional Flood Insurance Program ha provides coverage or

communiies ha paricipae in he program and agree o adop local oodplain

managemen ordinances. Te new law would discourage new developmen in

oodplains and improve he programs scal soundness by removing subsidized

insurance raes or secondary residences and businesses.179

Te new law also allows insurance raes o increase by up o 20 percen per year or

all policies and by 25 percen per year on cerain caegories o policies unil acu-

arial raes are achieved.180 Te new law also removes subsidies or properies ha

incur ood-relaed damages higher han heir marke value and or properies wih

repeiive losses. For he rs ime, he ac auhorizes an ongoing Naional Flood

Mapping Program and sipulaes ha i include mapping uure ood condiions,

projeced eecs o uure developmen, and anicipaed eecs o sea level rise.

Te reorms will eliminae subsidies ha were useul earlier in he lie he 44-year-

old program bu now inerere wih peoples accurae assessmen o ood risk con-

veyed by acuarially sound raes and diminish he scal soundness o he Naional

Flood Insurance Program. Te reorms also sreamline he numerous ood-mii-

gaion programs unded by policy holders o improve he programs eeciveness

and efciency in reducing unnecessary drain on he Naional Flood Insurance

Fund.181 Flood-hazard miigaion is a sound invesmen in reducing ood disaser

coss. Sudies ound ha or every $1 spen on ood miigaion, $5 is saved.182

Hurricane Sandy will likely rank as he naions second mos expensive hurricaneever based on damages paid ou by he ood insurance program. Ye Te New York

imes repored i will be many years, i ever, beore many homeowners are required

o pay premiums ha accuraely reec he marke cos o he coverage.183



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While increasing premium raes is an imporan sep owards improving he pro-

gram, here are equiy issues o consider or hose who are less able o aord i. A

major gap in he reormed program is he ailure o address he aordabiliy o ood

insurance or he primary homes o middle- and lower-income amilies. No only do

hey need help o proec heir mos valuable asses bu hey and heir communiies

will recover more quickly rom disasers i heyre insured as opposed o receiv-ing axpayer-unded Disaser Relie capped a $31,900 per household, hough he

average paymen is several housand dollars. A means-esed voucher program could

help ensure his proecion while signaling he long-erm risk o remaining in heir

curren locaion. Te legislaion calls or a sudy o aordabiliy issues.

Rehabilitate flood control infrastructure

Climae change will bring heavier precipiaion in he Norheas and upper

Midwes, increasing he likelihood o oods.184 A recen CAP repor, EnsuringPublic Saey by Invesing in Our Naions Criical Dams and Levees, docu-

mened he crumbling o dams and leveesour ood conrol inrasrucure.185

Te repor warned:

I we do no make changes soon o he way we monior and mainain our

naions dams and levees, caasrophes will coninue o occurlikely wih

greaer equency. Te combinaion o exreme weaher and ooding resuling

om global warming and our aging dam and levee inasrucure means ha

wihou acion, housands o lives and communiies are a risk and avoidable

public coss will rise.

o begin o address his hrea, Congress mus promply reauhorize he Naional

Dam Saey Program and should also creae a similar Naional Levee Saey

Program. I mus inves a leas $1 billion annually o rehabiliae our rundown

dam and levee inrasrucure.

Increase community resilience

In order o be prepared or he increase in requency and/or inensiy o exreme

weaher due o climae change, we mus inves in pre-disaser miigaion mea-

sures. Tey should ollow a botom-up approach, wih local communiies evalua-

ing heir risk rom exreme weaher evens and developing resiliency plans wih

echnical and nancial suppor rom he ederal governmen.



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Te local approach should enail a parnership among local, sae, and ederal

governmen, privae business, and nonpros. While here are muliple programs

under FEMA or posdisaser rebuilding and hazard miigaion, he array o pro-

grams should be consolidaed under one resilience-ocused eniy.

Expers in disaser managemen emphasize he imporance o implemeninglocal resilience plans. Russ Johnson, he global direcor o public saey and

disaser response a ESRI (a mapping rm), wih 30 years o governmen disaser

response experience, explained ha locals are he bes prepared o gure i ou.

Communiies mus be proacive by ideniying vulnerabiliies and esablishing

soluions, insead o waiing or he nex disaser o srike.

Te rs pre-disaser-miigaion programProjec Impacwas creaed under

FEMA Direcor James Lee Wit in 1997 and designed o make every communiy

more disaser resisan.186 Te program provided nancial and echnical suppor

o governmens, local businesses, and nonpros.187 Projec Impacs originalbudge o $25 million provided varying degrees o unding o 225 communiies

across he naion. Each paricipaing communiy agreed o esablish a parnership

ha idenied risks, idenied and prioriized measures designed o miigae hese

risks, and secured he public, nancial, and poliical suppor needed o implemen

he miigaion measures. Former FEMA Depuy Direcor George Haddow noed,

By all indicaions rom he eedback we were geting back on he ground, his was

he kind o program ha local communiies waned. Te recepiviy o he idea

was incredible.188

Unorunaely, FEMA under Presiden George W. Bush eliminaed Projec Impac

in 2002. Is successor was a conusing, compeiive, gran-based program wih

unding decided by poliics insead o need.189 Aer increasing annual unding o

$150 million, he Congressional Research Service repored ha Congress began

earmarking grans o specic programs in 2008, wih $50 million rom he predi-

saser miigaion und allocaed poliically insead based on communiies need.190

Congressional appropriaions o und predisaser miigaion have been decreas-

ing even as naural disaser coss have increased. In 2011 predisaser miigaion

received $50 million, bu he Unied Saes incurred over $60 billion in damagesrom he mos desrucive billion-dollar exreme weaher evens.191 Similarly, in

2012 Congress allocaed $35.5 million or predisaser miigaion while an esi-

maed $65.3 billion in desrucion occurred due o he mos damaging exreme

weaher.192 Te Obama adminisraion even proposed o eliminae unding or



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Conclusion

Hurricane Sandy is he exclamaion poin on he warnings abou climae change,

aer deadly and expensive exreme weaher evens repeaedly sruck he Unied

Saes in 2011 and 2012. Such disasers are becoming par o he new normal

he hea waves, droughs, severe sorms, and oods ha will grow in severiy

and/or requency in he coming years due o unchecked climae change. During

he massive hea wave in July 2012, Seh Borensein, science reporer or he

Associaed Press, wroe, I you wan a glimpse o some o he wors o global

warming, scieniss sugges aking a look a U.S. weaher in recen weeks.197

Te mos damaging exreme weaher evens alone over he pas 22 monhs ook

more han 1,000 lives and caused a leas $126 billion worh o damage. Our

analysis ound ha mos o hese ypes o evens disproporionaely harmed

middle- and lower-income Americans. Tese households have ewer resources o

prepare or and recover rom such disasers. Federal and sae disaser-relie poli-

cies mus help cushion he human and economic losses o hose people wih ewer

resources o recover rom severe weaher disasers.

Te American people undersand ha climae change is linked o he ragic

exreme weaher evens o recen years, and suppor carbon polluion reducions

o atack he problem. A pos-elecion poll by Zogby Analyics or he Naional

Wildlie Federaion ound ha:

wo-hirds o voers (65 percen) say eleced ofcials should ake seps

now o reduce he impac o climae change on uure generaions, while

jus 27 percen say we should wai or more evidence

A srong majoriy (57 percen) says climae change is adding o heseveriy o recen exreme weaher such as Supersorm Sandy and he

summer droughs



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Seven in 10 voers (69 percen) are grealy or somewha worried abou

he growing cos and risks o exreme weaher disasers ueled by climae

change198

We are no helpless vicims on he receiving end o a suddenly angrier climae.

Tese recen weaher evens are a call o acion and preparaion. Te increasein exreme weaher reecs scieniss warnings over he pas wo decades ha

we mus reduce he carbon dioxide and oher polluion responsible or climae

change, or else we will suer he consequences. I seems, however, ha scieniss

admoniions became realiy more quickly han hey prediced. For hose reasons,

climae preparednesshe need o manage he risks associaed wih a changing

climaeis equally essenial.

Presiden Obama and he 113h Congress musake seps o proec middle- and

lower-income households rom he economic harms wrough by exreme weaher

evens linked o climae change. Tey mus also ake acion o dramaically reducehe American producion o carbon polluion ha leads o climae change and

hese exreme weaher evens. Such polluion-reducion measures are essenial.

Forunaely, hey will provide oher benes o our economy, including more

invesmen in he clean energy echnologies o he uure, job creaion, and eco-

nomic compeiiveness.



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Methodology

Tis Cener or American Progress analysis compiled daa rom muliple sources.

Exreme weaher evens daa were rom he Naional Oceanic and Amospheric

Adminisraions Naional Climaic Daa Cener, or NCDC.199 Te NCDC 2011

daabase includes aaliies, esimaed damages, and saes aeced by hese evens.

Te NCDC 2012 is sill unpublished, so he inormaion abou he human and

economic impacs o hese evens were gahered rom governmen websies, like

he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure, or news sources. A ull lis o sources by even

can be ound in he appendix.200

Counies aeced by each even were compiled rom he Federal Emergency

Managemen Agencys Declared Disasers daabase.201 I he agency has no

ye declared he even an emergency, he counies aeced were eiher ound

in he Sorm Predicion Cener or he Summary o Weaher Evens across a

Four Sae Region, boh available rom he Naional Oceanic and Amospheric

Adminisraions Naional Weaher Service.202

In order o assess income levels or he mos aeced counies, we used median

household income (20062010) daa and number o households (20062010)

daa rom he U.S. Census Bureaus Sae and Couny QuickFacs. 203 Te 2006

2010 values are an average over he ve-year period. We compared he percen

dierence beween he average annual median household incomes or he aeced

counies in each weaher even o he U.S. median$51,914. We accouned or

he populaion o each couny when calculaing hese values. Te cos per house-

hold was calculaed by aking he cos o he even divided by he oal number o

households or each even.



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Appendix: Costs and regional data

Te daa colleced were broken down by year, as he Naional Climaic Daa

Ceners lis o billio

heavy weather: how climate destruction harms middle- and lower-income americans

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