In the US, Disasters Strike All Over the Country
2024-08-01
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1When it comes to disasters in the United States, most people think of major storms and earthquakes that hit coastal areas.
2But a study from the nonprofit Rebuild by Design and New York University says disasters happen everywhere across the country.
3The study looks at information on hundreds of federally declared disasters from 2011 to about 2021.
4It also examines the $60 billion that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, gave state and local governments.
5The study finds that eight of the nine counties with the most federally declared disasters since 2011 are in Kentucky. One is in Vermont.
6These counties have several times the number of disasters as the national average of three in the past 13 years.
7A federal disaster is declared when a bad natural event is so costly that local government officials do not believe they can recover.
8So, the governor of the state asks the president to declare a disaster which frees federal money set aside for this purpose.
9Amy Chester is director of Rebuild by Design.
10She said, "California and Louisiana and I would say now even Texas, Florida, for sure, they soak up all the oxygen when you hear about these giant storms."
11Chester added, "But what you're not hearing about are these storms that are happening all the time, and that's just becoming ...regular to places like Vermont."
12Chester also noted Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Iowa and Alaska as having a lot of disasters.
13"We want to show that climate change is already here," Chester said of the data, which covers 2011 to 2023.
14It does not include heat waves, lack of rain or diseases, like COVID-19.
15Before she studied the data, Chester said she thought Vermont would be safe from climate change.
16Instead, it has many disasters.
17"It's awful," Chester said. "It just keeps happening to them."
18Vermont recently flooded again because of heavy rain from Hurricane Beryl.
19In July 2022, at least 40 people died, and 300 homes were damaged when a flood struck Floyd County in eastern Kentucky.
20It was the 13th time in 12 years that the federal government declared the rural county a disaster.
21Judge Robbie Williams is the administrator of the county with about 35,0000 people.
22He said, "After that flood, I had 500 homeless people looking at me, 'Judge what are we going to do'?" Williams added, "It's overwhelming and it's just a matter of time before it happens again."
23Then, in 2023, Floyd County was declared a disaster again for the 14th time since 2011.
24But Floyd County is not the nation's most disaster-prone county.
25Neighboring Johnson County has had 15 disasters declared by FEMA.
26Floyd County's government received more than $35 million in FEMA disaster aid since 2011.
27But that is not a lot of money compared to other counties hit by hurricanes.
28Five counties received more than $1 billion in FEMA aid.
29Three of them are in New York state.
30They are led by Manhattan's New York County, which got $8.9 billion after being struck by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
31FEMA notes that flooding is the most common disaster in the U.S. Since 2011, FEMA has paid more than $41 billion in aid following hurricanes, the most of any kind of disaster.
32Susan Cutter is with the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina.
33Cutter said: "What the data tell us is that the frequency and severity of disasters at local-state scales is increasing with rural, suburban, and urban places being affected nationwide."
34She was not involved in Chester's research. But she added, "More needs to be done."
35In Floyd County, Judge Williams said geography and government regulations make it tough for the area.
36The county is in the mountains. People live in the narrow valleys, he said. When it rains, the creeks and rivers overflow.
37"We're seeing historic levels of flooding," Williams said.
38"It's only getting worse."
39Environmental regulations bar local officials from dredging the creeks.
40Silt from the mountains keeps building up, Williams said.
41Some creeks were about six meters deep but are now shallow enough to walk across, he said.
42"The problem is there is nowhere for the rain to go," Williams said.
43Samantha Montano is a professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
44Montano said what is more important is how state and local policies create or reduce the risk of future disasters.
45In Floyd County, the local government is using FEMA money to buy the homes of 150 residents to move them out of a flood area, but some do not want to leave, Williams said.
46"Until we get those homes out of these flood ways...we're still going to have these issues," Williams added.
47I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1When it comes to disasters in the United States, most people think of major storms and earthquakes that hit coastal areas. But a study from the nonprofit Rebuild by Design and New York University says disasters happen everywhere across the country. 2The study looks at information on hundreds of federally declared disasters from 2011 to about 2021. It also examines the $60 billion that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, gave state and local governments. 3The study finds that eight of the nine counties with the most federally declared disasters since 2011 are in Kentucky. One is in Vermont. These counties have several times the number of disasters as the national average of three in the past 13 years. 4A federal disaster is declared when a bad natural event is so costly that local government officials do not believe they can recover. So, the governor of the state asks the president to declare a disaster which frees federal money set aside for this purpose. 5Amy Chester is director of Rebuild by Design. She said, "California and Louisiana and I would say now even Texas, Florida, for sure, they soak up all the oxygen when you hear about these giant storms." 6Chester added, "But what you're not hearing about are these storms that are happening all the time, and that's just becoming ...regular to places like Vermont." Chester also noted Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Iowa and Alaska as having a lot of disasters. 7"We want to show that climate change is already here," Chester said of the data, which covers 2011 to 2023. It does not include heat waves, lack of rain or diseases, like COVID-19. 8Before she studied the data, Chester said she thought Vermont would be safe from climate change. Instead, it has many disasters. 9"It's awful," Chester said. "It just keeps happening to them." 10Vermont recently flooded again because of heavy rain from Hurricane Beryl. 11Disasters in unexpected places 12In July 2022, at least 40 people died, and 300 homes were damaged when a flood struck Floyd County in eastern Kentucky. It was the 13th time in 12 years that the federal government declared the rural county a disaster. 13Judge Robbie Williams is the administrator of the county with about 35,0000 people. He said, "After that flood, I had 500 homeless people looking at me, 'Judge what are we going to do'?" Williams added, "It's overwhelming and it's just a matter of time before it happens again." 14Then, in 2023, Floyd County was declared a disaster again for the 14th time since 2011. But Floyd County is not the nation's most disaster-prone county. Neighboring Johnson County has had 15 disasters declared by FEMA. 15Floyd County's government received more than $35 million in FEMA disaster aid since 2011. But that is not a lot of money compared to other counties hit by hurricanes. 16Five counties received more than $1 billion in FEMA aid. Three of them are in New York state. They are led by Manhattan's New York County, which got $8.9 billion after being struck by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 17FEMA notes that flooding is the most common disaster in the U.S. Since 2011, FEMA has paid more than $41 billion in aid following hurricanes, the most of any kind of disaster. 18Susan Cutter is with the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina. Cutter said: "What the data tell us is that the frequency and severity of disasters at local-state scales is increasing with rural, suburban, and urban places being affected nationwide." She was not involved in Chester's research. But she added, "More needs to be done." 19Geography and regulations 20In Floyd County, Judge Williams said geography and government regulations make it tough for the area. The county is in the mountains. People live in the narrow valleys, he said. When it rains, the creeks and rivers overflow. 21"We're seeing historic levels of flooding," Williams said. "It's only getting worse." 22Environmental regulations bar local officials from dredging the creeks. Silt from the mountains keeps building up, Williams said. Some creeks were about six meters deep but are now shallow enough to walk across, he said. 23"The problem is there is nowhere for the rain to go," Williams said. 24Samantha Montano is a professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Montano said what is more important is how state and local policies create or reduce the risk of future disasters. 25In Floyd County, the local government is using FEMA money to buy the homes of 150 residents to move them out of a flood area, but some do not want to leave, Williams said. 26"Until we get those homes out of these flood ways...we're still going to have these issues," Williams added. 27I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 28Seth Borenstein reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 29_____________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31county -n. an area in a state that has its own local government 32overwhelming -adj. an amount too big to deal with effectively 33scale -n. a level or size of something in relation to other, similar things that are bigger or smaller 34regulation -n. a rule or law that governs a kind of activity or industry 35disaster-prone -adj. likely to have a disaster 36dredging -n. the process of removing mud from the bottom of a river or canal to make it deeper so boats can pass 37silt -n. dirt that is carried by rivers and streams to lower areas of land 38management -n. the effort of overseeing and controlling a business, government office or organization 39creek -n. a small stream 40shallow -adj. not deep 41We want to hear from you. 42Our comment policy is here.