From HST Today: Hurricane Helene Flood Insurance Payments Surpasses $1 Billion. FEMA Encourages Florida Policyholders to Take Advantage of Extended Grace Period to Renew

Hurricane Helene Flood Insurance Payments Surpasses $1 Billion

From the Wash Post: The decisions that cost some lives and saved others during Helene’s wrath. Six workers, most of whom were Latino, died after showing up for work at a factory in Tennessee. A mile down the road, 70 people stuck at a hospital were rescued from the roof.

“The flooding in the small rural town of Erwin on Sept. 27 that stemmed from Hurricane Helene would later be deemed the result of a 5,000-year event. But the deluge wasn’t the only force determining who lived and died that day. A Washington Post investigation based on videos and photos — some recorded by victims in their final moments — as well as interviews with survivors, victims’ relatives and local leaders, shows how decisions by county and business leaders also played a role in who survived.”

From the WashPost: Not every city is prepared for climate change. Look up yours.

Article provides a U.S. map showing combined risk of coastal flooding, inland flooding, hurricane, drought, wildfire and heat.

From the Ashville Citizen Times: FEMA program repurposing Helene-downed WNC trees into firewood, furniture, mulch and more.

“A collaboration between governmental agencies and nonprofit and faith-based organizations is repurposing some of the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene’s destruction into use for local residents.

As part of a project developed by FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination, thousands of trees damaged by Helene will be repurposed under a state project, FEMA announced in a press release Nov. 13.”

Can FEMA and Flood Insurance Keep Up With “Rising Tide Risks?

From HSToday: Biden-Harris-administration-provides-more-than-2-7-billion-in-fema-assistance-to-help-helene-and-milton-affected-communities/

From the Congressional Research Service: Simplifying FEMA’s Assistance Programs: Selected Actions Taken and Potential Future Considerations. (3 pp)

From HSNews: Amid Hurricane Milton’s Devastation, a Sliver of Good News

Earlier this month Hurricane Milton caused an estimated $50 billion in damage and claimed the lives of at least 14 people, yet didn’t deliver the scale of destruction some had feared. Cellphone data suggest evacuation mandates, warning systems worked.

From CNN: 27 million people in California face ‘life-threatening’ fire warning

From NBCNews: Already in political crosshairs, fates of NOAA and FEMA hang in the election balance.

Government weather and disaster agencies have become increasingly politicized, so the election may be pivotal to their futures. Project 2025 recommends major changes and cuts to NOAA and FEMA.