Brady Dennis

Where the sky keeps bursting A Washington Post investigation shows why much of the eastern U.S. is increasingly vulnerable to extreme rain and floods.

For the latest in a @washingtonpost series about places where extreme rainfall is hitting hardest around the globe, I spent time in one of the "hot spots" increasingly vulnerable to heavy rains and devastating floods: central Appalachia.
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N.C. counties that busted budgets after Helene still waiting for FEMA to pay them back A year after Hurricane Helene, FEMA hasn’t reimbursed millions of dollars spent on cleanup and recovery, upending local budgets and hindering reconstruction.

N.C. counties that busted budgets after Helene still waiting for FEMA to pay them back

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5 more Outer Banks houses collapse into the ocean amid stormy seas Over the past five years, 17 homes have fallen along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

5 more Outer Banks houses collapse into the ocean amid stormy seas

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As Texas flooded, key staff say FEMA’s leader could not be reached The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s acting administrator, David Richardson, is often inaccessible, several current and former officials say, raising concerns within the agency.

As Texas flooded, key staff say FEMA’s leader could not be reached.
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Amid hurricane season, FEMA staffers reassigned to support deportations DHS said the moves won’t hinder disaster readiness, but current and former FEMA officials said losing that many people will hurt an already much reduced agency.

Amid hurricane season, FEMA staffers reassigned to support deportations, via Brianna Sacks

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A new era of floods has arrived. America isn’t prepared. A Washington Post investigation reveals why so few people evacuated in the state hit hardest by last year’s deadliest disaster.

“How do you plan for the worst thing you’ve never seen?”

A new era of floods has arrived. America isn’t prepared.
via @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social @naemas.bsky.social @bennollweather.bsky.social

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How to help Texas flood victims and first responders Local officials have asked for financial donations, while the Salvation Army and World Central Kitchen are providing support on the ground.

How to help Texas flood victims and first responders

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How the cataclysmic Texas floods unfolded, minute by minute Hundreds of campers were sound asleep early on Friday, expecting to wake up to a fireworks show and special treats of Hershey’s bars and Coca-Cola by the lake.

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Between broken tree limbs and muddied cabins, a father looks for his missing child Michael McCown drove to the Hill Country when he learned of the flood. His little girl had been at Camp Mystic, among the youngest girls in the Bubble Inn cabin.

Between broken tree limbs and muddied cabins, a father looks for his missing child
⁦‪@arelisrhdz‬⁩

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Flint finally replaced its lead pipes The contamination in Flint, Michigan, sparked a national dialogue about the harms of lead pipes and the country’s aging water infrastructure.

More than a decade after water crisis, Flint, Mich., has finally replaced most of its lead pipes.
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Land deal ends controversial mining fight near Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp The landmark deal ends a years-long fight over a proposed mine next to one of the South’s last truly wild places.

Land deal ends controversial mining fight near Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp

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This town was wiped out by Helene. How does it come back? Chimney Rock, N.C., a popular tourist destination, is hoping to welcome back visitors this summer. But nearly eight months after Hurricane Helene destroyed it, an uncertain future remains.

I remember making my way to Chimney Rock just after Hurricane Helene hit, and struggling to grasp the scope of devastation. Almost 8 months later, I went back to see how a town that almost got wiped off the map is trying to resurrect itself:
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NOAA scrambles to fill forecasting jobs as hurricane season looms As the administration scrambles to fill critical vacancies, the work force shortages have meanwhile forced several offices to stop operating 24 hours a day.

NOAA scrambles to fill forecasting jobs as hurricane season looms: via @byscottdance.com

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Months after Helene, it’s still hard to drive these North Carolina roads North Carolina is strewn with private roads and bridges. More than 7,000 still need repairs in the aftermath of storm Helene.

Despite all the work, many private roads in western North Carolina remain in disrepair months after Helene. Here is the story of one:

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Mothering at the End of the World — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER After Helene, mothers held their infants tight as they swam to safety. Held their toddlers close as tree limbs crashed through their roofs. Held their teenagers fiercely after their kids witnessed dea...

From raging fires to record floods, more families across the U.S. are experiencing devastating impacts of the climate crisis. @bittersouth.bsky.social has a dispatch from Western North Carolina on how mothers are shouldering that burden after Helene:
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After Helene, N.C. bill could make it easier to declare missing loved ones dead Even if a person has been missing for years, he or she is not presumed dead in the state. Alena’s Law, named after a 31-year-old missing since Hurricane Helene, will make death declarations easier for...

Heartbreaking reporting from @bradydennis.bsky.social on the few Helene victims who remain missing more than seven months after the storm -- and the N.C. law that prevents grieving families from moving on. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Which cities have the most trees? See how yours stacks up. Why some U.S. cities are so much greener than others

Which cities have the most trees? See how yours stacks up. via @bananafish.bsky.social

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Trump touts ‘clean coal’ — but cuts programs that protect miners A federal program that screens coal miners for black lung disease has been shuttered because of layoffs and budget cuts.

Trump touts ‘clean coal’ — but cuts programs that protect miners, via @maxinejoselow.bsky.social

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I’m a disaster reporter. But I was not prepared to watch my city burn. In the era of climate change, contending with loss has become inevitable.

My colleague Bri Sacks on a reality so many will face:
"Each major, once unfathomable disaster has been laying out the truth in clear, plain terms: In this era of climate change, there are fewer and fewer safe places. Great loss, for many of us, is inevitable."
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DOGE cuts at a Florida manatee refuge have been reversed — for now

States caught unprepared for Trump’s threats to FEMA FEMA is canceling plans to award states grants to help prepare against future disasters. Federal funds given to states after disasters strike could also be in jeopardy.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Wildfires have always burned in the South. Here’s why they’re getting worse. Storm debris, population growth and dry conditions are all contributing to a viscious fire season in the South.

Wildfires have always burned in the South. Here’s why they’re getting worse.

Latest w/@RubyMellen from a smoky, smoldering western North Carolina

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1 in 8 Californians now face extreme fire danger, Post analysis shows One in 8 Californians now live in places at risk for the kinds of devastating wildfires that tore through Los Angeles this winter, according to a Washington Post analysis of new state fire maps.

1 in 8 Californians now face extreme fire danger, Post analysis shows

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In the Australian outback, climate change widens the racial divide In the scorching Australian opal mining town of Coober Pedy, White people live in cool “dugouts” while their Aboriginal neighbors suffer above, often without AC.

In the Australian outback, people survive surging heat waves by living underground -- or else take on mounting energy costs to keep cool. A fascinating dispatch on how climate change is exacerbating racial and economic divides, by Michael E. Miller:

What went wrong the night Altadena burned A Washington Post analysis shows that some officials knew of the fire’s westward spread hours before evacuation orders were sent to residents in western Altadena.

What went wrong the night Altadena burned

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Massive storm system kills 28 in central U.S. as tornado risk peaks Numerous significant tornadoes were expected Saturday afternoon and evening, with the highest risk across several states in the Deep South, forecasters say.

Massive storm system kills 28 in central U.S. as tornado risk peaks

Biden said this plant was a health threat. Trump dropped a lawsuit against it The Justice Department dropped a landmark lawsuit alleging that emissions from a Louisiana petrochemical plant pose a danger to nearby communities.

Biden said this Louisiana plant was a health threat. Trump dropped a lawsuit against it. @maxinejoselow.bsky.social and Amudalat Ajasa:

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Wildfires in the Carolinas prompt a state of emergency, evacuations South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon as wildfires raged across 4,200 acres in the state.

Wildfires in the Carolinas prompt a state of emergency, evacuations

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Trump fires hundreds working on weather forecasts, satellite data and radar systems The terminations come days before a potential severe weather outbreak in the southeastern U.S. — and just months ahead of the next Atlantic hurricane season.

Mass firings hit critical National Weather Service and NOAA offices. Via @byscottdance.com

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EPA tells White House to strike down landmark climate finding The Trump administration is weighing whether to repeal the “endangerment finding,” which states that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.

EPA tells White House to strike down landmark climate finding, via @maxinejoselow.bsky.social

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