Karen Leader has lived in public housing in Brooklyn, New York, for over 30 years, so she is no stranger to the “unbearable” heatwaves that have spread across the city and her housing complex. But this year, the 71-year-old retiree tried to get ahead of the curve. The sticker price of $300 to $800 for […]
Extreme Weather
Posted inExtreme Weather, Sports
The World Cup’s Biggest Opponent This Summer Might Be Extreme Heat
On a Saturday morning in August 2020, when the temperature was climbing toward 111 degrees, John and Valerie Thomas watched their son Shane finish soccer practice from a shaded area near the field. He looked fine. He was joking with his coaches. Then he didn’t come back. His teammates found him unresponsive near the batting […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Housing, Politics & Policy
Trump Weakened FEMA, and a Black St. Louis Neighborhood Is Paying the Price
ST. LOUIS — The tapping sound drew Jeffrey Bingham to his front window. Outside, the world was folding in on itself. Trees bent sideways. Power lines snapped. Across the street, a two-story brick house crumbled and disappeared instantly. Then his windows blew and the front door ripped open. He ran for the basement as pressure […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Housing
Insurance Crisis Leaves Black Homeowners One Disaster Away From Homelessness
The insurance check to rebuild Zaire Calvin’s family properties came in at just under $300,000, a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $2.1 million they had been worth. His family had five homes sprawled across two lots in the leafy suburb of Altadena, California, before the Eaton Fire unleashed its wrath, leveling both […]
Posted inExtreme Weather
For Rural Black Communities, Winter Storm Fern Hits Where Recovery Never Finished
The storm came, and just as Monica Coleman predicted, it hit places least equipped to handle it. On Monday morning, she was one of roughly 1 million Americans without power because of Winter Storm Fern. Officials in Lafayette County, Mississippi, where she lives, are warning residents that they could be without power for multiple days. […]
Posted inClimate Change, Extreme Weather, Public Safety
A Storm Is Coming for the South’s Most Vulnerable Black Communities
For millions in the South, an impending storm could become unforgettable. “I can’t stop watching the forecasts,” said Shemekia Stringer, speaking by phone Thursday afternoon as she moved through near-empty aisles at a Walmart in Southaven, Mississippi, just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. “I’m trying to make sure we’re fully prepared. In my area, the map […]
Posted inBlack Migration, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather
As Altadena’s Trees Fell, So Did the Roots of a Black LA Neighborhood
Photos by Grace Mahoney This story was published in partnership with High Country News. Altadena used to disappear under the trees. Adonis Jones’ neighborhood was once defined by thick oaks and pines, their canopy guarding winding trails where Black cowboys rode, shaping his childhood memories. Now, standing on the bare site of his future master […]
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Food Access, Rural Issues
In a N.C. Town With Almost No Grocers, One Farmer Is Expanding Local Food Access
Most days, Patrick Brown kneels in the red clay of Warren County, North Carolina, running the soil through his fingers. His roughly 300 acre farm has been in his family since 1865 and has survived crisis after crisis. Now it has another important job to do — affordably feeding families in one of the state’s […]
Posted inExtreme Weather
Jamaican Americans Mobilize After the Island’s Worst Hurricane in a Century
Out of many, one people. Kimisha Simpson says she’s confident that Jamaica’s national motto will rally the diaspora and others to help rebuild the island that was battered by Hurricane Melissa earlier this week. “We like to say, ‘We’re the heartbeat of the Caribbean,’” Simpson said. “Jamaica is an island that has given so much […]
Posted inExtreme Weather
Hurricane Melissa Batters Jamaica With Strongest Hurricane Winds in 90 Years
Hurricane Melissa is hammering Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, bringing 185 mph winds. This is the strongest hurricane wind speed to make landfall in 90 years, threatening to cause catastrophic floods, landslides, and a sea surge up to 13 feet along the island’s southern coast. The relatively slow speed of the monster storm will […]
