Hurricane season could overwhelm disaster response systems

Grim forecasts for an active hurricane season highlight significant gaps in America's disaster preparedness.

Juliette Kayyem reports for The Atlantic.

In short:

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts up to 25 named storms this hurricane season, driven by warm Atlantic waters and La Niña conditions.
• America's disaster-preparedness system, including FEMA and private insurers, lacks the resources to handle consecutive severe storms.
• Public complacency and inadequate disaster response infrastructure exacerbate the risks posed by increasingly frequent and intense hurricanes.

Key quote:

"Big ones are fast. They don’t care about our timelines. Preparedness is absolutely everything."

— Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service

Why this matters:

With predictions of a highly active hurricane season, the inadequacies in current disaster response systems could lead to severe consequences for vulnerable communities, emphasizing an increasing need for better preparedness amid escalating climate-related risks. Read more: Robbie Parks on why hurricanes are getting deadlier.