A decade of recovery: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, extreme weather events are affecting us all

10 years ago this week, our country was shocked by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters ever to touch the U.S. In the following decade, too many people, including myself, have been affected by global warming-fueled extreme weather events. We touch upon the growing saga of how Americans are affected by climate change and ask you to contribute your story.

Katie Hammer

“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it,” President Obama, 8/3/2015 [1]

10 years ago this week, our country was shocked by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters ever to touch the U.S. Only a short decade later, it is sobering to think that more and more people across the country have stories similar to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  

Too many communities across the U.S. have been devastated by global warming-driven natural disasters. More and more people, including myself, have been affected by global warming-fueled extreme weather events. We want to add their stories to the growing saga of how Americans are affected by climate change.

Have you been affected by a global warming-fueled natural disaster? Share your story here! 

Here’s mine: In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded my home, displacing my neighbors and family for six months while my community rebuilt itself. Three years later, many of my neighbors have yet to come back home. Submerged in several feet of water for days, the floors of my home resembled the muck-ridden low-tide beaches of the Long Island Sound, and the walls crumbled like wet tissue. Family albums and heirloom furniture were simply washed away with the tide. Although Hurricane Sandy was concentrated on the East Coast, people across the country are developing similar stories to mine as these extreme weather events take away a piece of their story too

  

Photos: Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Global warming continues to fuel more frequent and extreme weather events.  Ranging from massive hurricanes and flooding, to widespread and ferocious wildfires, to crippling drought, global warming-fueled disasters are affecting Americans nearly every day.

Although President Obama has taken a significant step in fighting global warming by finalizing the Clean Power Plan that sets the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants, there are many senators who are actively working to shut it down. We need to get together and show our senators that we are not just a statistic, we are real people that are affected in endless ways. I am asking that you share your personal story of how you were impacted by a global warming-fueled natural disaster. By sharing our stories and photos, we can show decision makers that their constituents want fighting global warming to be a top priority! 

How many stories like yours and mine will it take to convince our senators that global warming is harming us and it is affecting us now? Our goal is to fight global warming so that no one else will have to suffer from a natural disaster.

Thanks for your help in the fight against global warming,

Katie Hammer, Environment America Digital Organizer

 

1.) White House, ‘Climate Change and President Obama’s Action Plan, (https://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change), August 3, 2015.

 

 

 

Authors

Katie Hammer