By Karen Elias
Two weeks ago my little family – two adults and two cats – hurriedly made our way down the cellar steps to our basement shelter room. That afternoon we’d followed the radar as severe storms advanced across Pennsylvania. We’d hesitated at first, knowing how difficult it might be to herd the cats in a direction not driven by their own desires. But now Red Alerts were showing up on our phones, indicating that a storm responsible for tornado activity two counties away was headed in our direction. We were taking no chances.
That past week had seen severe flooding in Argentina, Indonesia, Spain, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Australia, Ecuador, Italy, and Zimbabwe. And the United States alone had suffered extensive climate-related damages: a massive dust storm on the Great Plains, caused by extreme winds; a storm in Texas strong enough to flip semi trucks on their sides; more than 160 wildfires in Oklahoma; extreme hail in Missouri; widespread tornado damage in Alabama; wildfires in Florida erupting due to high winds and low humidity; and a storm in Missouri that killed forty people.
This activity is becoming the new normal, with climate change making storms more frequent and more intense. A total of 190 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. between 2015 and 2024, killing over 6,300 people and costing over $1.4 trillion in damages. As the temperature of our planet continues to rise, it’s clear that what we have erroneously called “natural” disasters will increase as well.
This time my family was lucky. The threatened tornado never materialized. High winds buffeted our house for about 15 minutes and then were gone. But elsewhere the storm left extensive damage in its wake. The Clinton County 9-1-1 Center received 68 storm-related calls, reporting downed electrical wires, rock slides, fallen trees on houses and cars, and roofs blown off. Hours after the worst had passed, areas of the county were still without power, and several roadways were closed, blocked by fallen debris.
A farm in Lamar, just a few miles from where I live, suffered severe damage. The wind there was clocked at 120 mph at the height of the storm, and when the owner saw 2 by 4s and pieces of metal roofing flying through the air, he knew he had to take shelter. He hunkered down in his sheep pen, where he found himself when the storm hit. No animals or members of his family were hurt, but several of his buildings sustained extensive damage to their roofs and exteriors. His estimated loss is in the thousands of dollars.
A major question that arises with this increasingly dire reality is: Who will bear the costs, especially for those of us living in rural areas? In calculating costs, it’s necessary to factor in those damages that especially impact farmers, whose crops are now at risk from multiple threats, including drought, excessive rainfall, storms, and invasive pests and diseases. Up to now, we’ve been able to depend on outside agencies for relief. However, in the face of hugely expensive climate damage, insurance companies are hesitant to take on climate risks, resulting in delayed remuneration – or none at all. In addition, the Trump administration is now considering eliminating FEMA and, with it, the federal monies that states rely on for disaster response. Without FEMA funding, the states will need to find billions of dollars for disaster repair. It’s disturbing to think that much of this responsibility will fall on the individual tax-payer who, in rural areas especially, is already financially stressed due to the fact that tax burdens increase as rural population declines.
The farmer in Lamar is rushing to buy the supplies needed to repair his farm. He says that President Trump’s tariffs on lumber have already increased his expenses, and he wants to get ahead of any future tariffs that Trump might impose on imported metal. So far, he’s able to carry the load.
But we can’t help wondering: What happens next? And who will pay?
Rural Progressive Voices 