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Articles on Hurricanes

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Neighborhood groups in Staten Island, N.Y., encouraged buyouts after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

When homes flood, who gets FEMA buyouts and where do they go? We mapped thousands of moves and found distance and race both play a role

FEMA runs the largest managed retreat program in the country, Two disaster response experts looked at the demographics of who gets those buyouts and where they go.
Seabirds forage on an oyster shell island on the Texas Gulf Coast. Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Hurricane Harvey more than doubled the acidity of Texas’ Galveston Bay, threatening oyster reefs

Climate change is making oceans more acidic globally. Now, scientists are finding that large storms can send pulses of acidic water into bays and estuaries, further stressing fish and shellfish.
Hurricane Nicole was a Category 1 storm, but it caused extensive damage to Florida in 2022. Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

Even weak tropical cyclones have grown more intense worldwide – we tracked 30 years of them using currents

Research shows storms that might have caused minimal damage a few decades ago are becoming stronger and more destructive as the planet warms.
Hurricane Fiona drenched places like Salinas across Puerto Rico in September 2022. AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo

More than 60% of Puerto Ricans seeking FEMA aid after Hurricane Maria had their applications denied – will the agency approve more this time?

Within two weeks of Hurricane Fiona, FEMA had accepted most Puerto Rican housing aid applications. Nearly all those early approvals cover only $700 in assistance and won’t pay the tab for rebuilding.
New satellite mapping techniques can quickly locate washed out and damaged areas. Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images

New satellite mapping with AI can quickly pinpoint hurricane damage across an entire state to spot where people may be trapped

Artificial intelligence can spot differences in images from before and after a storm over wide areas in almost real time. It showed Hurricane Ian’s vast damage in Florida.
Ian resulted in the deaths of at least 44 people in Florida and tens of billions of dollars in damage. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

How Hurricane Ian and other disasters are becoming a growing source of inequality – even among the middle class

Research on Hurricane Harvey found that flood insurance and strong social networks were key factors in determining how quickly people recovered, regardless of socioeconomic status.

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