Climate Change

NBC News reports: Fresh off the one-two punch of Helene and Milton, hurricane victims in Florida — even those with insurance — face a challenging recovery. The insurance industry is categorizing the storms as two separate events, meaning anyone who did not or could not document damage from Helene could face even greater odds that their claim will be denied …

Florida Politics reports: More than 1.5 million remain without power almost three days after feeling the first effects of Hurricane Milton. Most major utility providers have now provided timelines for when service should come back online. Outages include more than 581,000 Duke Energy customers, almost 428,000 Florida Power & Light (FPL) accounts and more than 420,000 Tampa Electric Company (TECO) …

Reuters reports: The brutal wind and torrential rainfall of Hurricane Milton that killed 16 people in Florida this week were worsened by human-caused climate change, a team of international scientists said on Friday. Global warming made wind speeds around 10% stronger and rainfall greater by between 20% and 30%, according to an analysis by World Weather Attribution. Previous scientific analyses …

“People had their property. They have a right to do with what they want to do with it. And it is tough when you have two back-to-back storms. No question. “The reality is people work their whole lives and work hard to be able to live in environments that are really, really nice. “And they have a right to make …

USA Today reports: As of Friday morning, 2.2 million Floridians were still without power, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker. The west-central coast continues to be the hardest hit, with 483,225 residents in Hillsborough County and another 460,544 in Pinellas County still in the dark. In Pasco County, 113,745 power outages were reported. Further south, 152,471 residents in …

Florida Politics reports: Despite the massive onslaught of tornadoes from this late-season storm, DeSantis noted that it is “kind of normal” with each storm and “to be expected” that with “every hurricane we have a lot of tornadoes spun off,” as “things churn off with these weather systems.” And climate change or global warming? Nothing to do with it, said …

CNN reports: The eye of Hurricane Milton, which traveled overnight from near the Tampa Bay area east toward Orlando and Cape Canaveral, is now moving past the Florida peninsula and exiting the east coast, according to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. But the storm – currently a Category 1 hurricane – is still slamming parts of the coast with onshore …

The Weather Channel reports: H​urricane Milton will make landfall in Florida tonight into early Thursday where it poses a major threat to life and property as it hammers the state with destructive storm surge, devastating wind damage, potentially catastrophic flooding rainfall and several tornadoes. Bands of heavy rain containing strong wind gusts are spreading across parts of the state well …

The Weather Channel reports: H​urricane Milton will make landfall in Florida tonight into early Thursday where it poses a major threat to life and property as it hammers the state with destructive storm surge, devastating wind damage, potentially catastrophic flooding rainfall and several tornadoes. “The track of Hurricane Milton continues to be a worst-case scenario for the Tampa Bay region …

Mediaite reports: Florida officials are telling residents who don’t intend to evacuate from the areas expected to be hit hardest by Hurricane Milton to write their names and the phone number of a family member on themselves so their bodies can be identified and their families find out about their deaths, according to CNN’s Paul Murphy. In an appearance on …

ABC News reports: Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday as it takes aim at Florida’s west coast. Landfall is expected as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Milton is closing in as Floridians are still recovering from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene. A record-breaking storm surge of 8 to 12 feet …

The Weather Channel reports: Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a strong Category 3 and hurricane and storm surge watches are now posted along Florida’s western Gulf Coast, where the storm poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek. “Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,” the National Weather Service …

The New York Times reports: Over the past 15 years, North Carolina lawmakers have rejected limits on construction on steep slopes, which might have reduced the number of homes lost to landslides; blocked a rule requiring homes to be elevated above the height of an expected flood; weakened protections for wetlands, increasing the risk of dangerous storm water runoff; and …

The Associated Press reports: More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it — an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts. That’s enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium 51,000 times, or Lake Tahoe just once. If …

ABC News reports: Asheville, North Carolina, has been called a potential safe haven for climate refugees by real estate researchers, praised for its temperate mountain weather, distance far from the coast, experiencing less extreme heat and fewer wildfires. Certainly, there are locations that are going to be able to withstand some of those impacts more than others, according to Dave …

Florida Politics reports: Following the devastating Hurricane Helene that unleashed winds and water, the state issued an emergency order to protect property owners from losing their insurance. The emergency order from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation comes as Florida’s insurance industry was already in crisis before the Category 4 Hurricane Helene arrived. Under the emergency order, insurance companies are …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: More than 50 people were sent to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital on Friday and are awaiting rescue as flooding cut the hospital off from land, according to Ballad Health. Ballad previously announced at 10:45 a.m. that the hospital had closed and suspended operations due to the threat of flooding. Ballad stated in a …

Florida Politics reports: Though the concept of climate change has been removed from state law in recent months, Florida’s former Governor is saying he agrees with mainstream scientists on the issue. “The climate is clearly changing,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said on CNN, addressing the destruction left by Hurricane Helene. “We know things are changing. We’ve got to figure out, …

The Verge reports: Zillow has announced that its real estate property listings in the US will soon feature details about climate risks, including the potential for wildfires, flooding, extreme temperatures, high winds, and poor air quality. Buyers will also see what types of insurance are required or recommended for a property. The climate risk data, provided through a partnership with …

The Hill reports: Ten Republican governors this week announced a coalition aimed at reducing regulations around energy production and opposing renewable energy mandates. The organization, the Governors Coalition for Energy Choice, said in a statement that the coalition aims to “ensure continued energy choice, minimize permitting and other regulatory barriers.” Members of the organization include Louisiana’s Jeff Landry, New Hampshire’s …