In an effort to combat climate change and help better protect communities against natural disasters, such as the recent deadly flooding in Kentucky and wildfires in California, Vice President Kamala Harris announced more than $1 billion for states "to improve their infrastructure and make communities more resilient."
Harris emphasized that the flooding in Kentucky and wildfires in California demonstrate "how immediate, how current, and how urgent the issue is of addressing the extreme weather that we’ve been experiencing around the country and the world," according to the Associated Press.
Harris mentioned a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report, which said there were 20 weather and climate disasters in 2021 with a total cost of $152.6 billion in damages and 724 deaths.
Overall, according to the NOAA, "The U.S. has sustained 332 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2022). The total cost of these 332 events exceeds $2.275 trillion."
From 2010 through 2019, there was an average of 12.8 weather and climate disasters per year, costing about $91.9 billion per year, with 523 deaths per year. Harris went on to point out the increased number of natural disasters in recent years, and said that it is only going to get worse unless something is done.
Related
"The frequency has accelerated in a relatively short period of time," Harris said. "The science is clear. Extreme weather will only get worse, and the climate crisis will only accelerate.″
The White House said in a fact sheet that the National Climate Task Force "has launched interagency efforts to build resilience to climate impacts, including extreme heat, wildfires, drought, flooding, coastal threats, financial risks, and more."
There will be $1 billion made available through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, in addition to $160 million for flood mitigation assistance.
On Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll from has risen to 35 people, while hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, nearly a week after flooding destroyed many towns in the state, according to the Associated Press.
“If things weren’t hard enough on the people of this region, they’re getting rain right now," Beshear said. "Just as concerning is high winds — think about how saturated the ground has been — it could knock over poles, it could knock over trees. So people need to be careful."
Related
Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told the AP that the funding announced by the White House on Monday is needed to protect against "the devastating impacts of climate change."
The funding will "help to ensure that our most vulnerable communities are not left behind, with hundreds of millions of dollars ultimately going directly to the communities that need it most,″ Criswell said.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign up and follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram