Stories by Thomas Frank

Tens of thousands of homeowners face financial losses because they were not considered to be in a flood zone and were not required to have insurance

Large swaths of the Western U.S. had a record-hot August, which helped prime fuels for devastating wildfires

Communities will be able to tap into $500 million to mitigate against disasters by, for example, strengthening building codes

Concerns over COVID-19 have officials urging evacuees to stay with friends and family or at hotels

More diversity is needed to reverse long-standing inequities in disaster response policies

Dramatic increases in storm-prone areas will complicate evacuation, sheltering and recovery efforts

Fifteen communities set records for the number of days with such floods last year

The significant growth in such properties has come despite billions spent to protect them

Systemic inequities such as credit scores mean Black home and business owners receive fewer federal relief loans than white ones

In California and Florida alone, such codes have prevented $1 billion a year in structural damage

A fast fire response will limit the need for mass evacuations and encampments

The impacts of floods can exacerbate existing racial and social inequality

The agency fell well short of its goal of evaluating local flood control efforts every five years

Expanding buyout programs would be more cost-effective than other measures, such as elevating houses or flood-proofing basements

The new National Hurricane Center maps will show the expected depth of storm surge from tropical systems

The first three months of the year were the second warmest in 141 years of record keeping

Posted in late July, the document foresaw many current impacts, including overwhelmed hospitals and disruptions in essential services

Requirements to disclose flood risk could help discourage development in inundation-prone areas

The billions of dollars needed to update the maps would be offset by the flood damage avoided, experts say

To avoid disruptions that could lead to conflict and displacement, the world must rapidly reach net-zero emissions, a new report says

The administration’s proposed spending for 2021 repeats previous calls for steep cuts to environmental programs

Swollen rivers could impede levee repairs, inundate homes and delay the planting of crops

The Corps will study how to improve the vast flood control systems along the lower reaches of the Missouri River

By the mid-2030s, global temperatures will likely top 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels