Stories by Thomas Frank

A key FEMA disaster fund and state insurance programs could run out of money to finance disaster recovery and pay claims, respectively, as hurricane and wildfire seasons begin

As part of its effort to prod the construction industry to go green, the Biden administration is providing new funding for rebuilding with low-carbon materials after disasters

Insurers face a “crisis of confidence” as global warming makes weather events unpredictable and increases damage

Home buyers are paying excessive prices after ignoring flood risk and the costs of insurance and repairs, a new study finds

More than three million adults were forced to evacuate their homes in the U.S. in the past year because of hurricanes, floods and other disasters, according to the Census Bureau

The U.S. Department of the Treasury makes an unprecedented move to find out if home insurers are abandoning communities vulnerable to climate change

Grants to Indigenous tribes in the U.S. totaling $75 million are the first from a new voluntary relocation program aimed at climate risks

Since Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, FEMA has approved disaster aid for thousands more individuals and households than received aid after Hurricane Maria in 2017

Hurricane Ian poses catastrophic risks to the Gulf Coast of Florida as climate change exacerbates the storm’s effects

Local governments in coastal states will lose billions of dollars in local tax revenue as rising seas claim developed land

Coastal flood zones where development is restricted will be based on future climate change projections, not past floods

Only 2.3 percent of households in the 10 Kentucky counties that suffered devastating floods last month have flood policies, records show

But the technique must remain in the firefighting toolbox, a new U.S. Forest Service report says

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says the agency has reduced barriers to cash assistance and other aid

Many communities are unprepared for storms that have been getting worse in part because of climate change

Thirty-nine states received the agency’s lowest score, including many of the most disaster-prone

The agency wants to examine if aid is distrubuted inequitably

The storm caused $65 million in damage across the U.S., according to the global reinsurance company Munich Re

Hurricane Ida and flooding in Europe topped the list of costliest disasters

The deadly storms are likely to be the 19th billion-dollar disaster to hit the U.S. in 2021

The New York City homes where 11 people drowned were in areas marked as low risk for inundation

The severe dry conditions have left critical reservoirs depleted and helped fuel intense wildfires

Proposed legislation includes funding to redo badly out-of-date flood risk maps

The 117 fatalities recorded in the Pacific Northwest so far include only those directly attributed to heat