Articles by Christopher Flavelle

New York City Reviews Plans on Flooding After Houston Disaster

New York is reviewing its plans for a massive rainstorm after the flooding that has left parts of Houston underwater for days. “We’re looking at what a Harvey-type event would mean in New York City,” said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director …

Harvey, Houston, America, Politics and Building Codes

Jerry Garcia’s home in Corpus Christi missed the worst of Hurricane Harvey by just a few miles and lost nothing more than some shingles and his backyard pier, which turned up further down Oso Bay. A 5-foot bulkhead and sloping …

Hurricane Harvey Looks to Be First Big Test for Trump FEMA Director Long

Brock Long knew it was just a matter of time. “We’ve gone 11 years without a major hurricane land-falling in the U.S.—that’s a one-in-2,000 chance,” said Long, President Donald Trump’s administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in an interview …

Trump FEMA Chief Backs Reducing Federal Role in Disaster Relief, Flood Insurance

President Donald Trump’s emergency management director said he’s pushing for an overhaul of disaster relief so that states, cities and homeowners bear more of the costs, and less of the risk falls on the federal government. Brock Long, who was …

Storm-Prone Cities Vie for Environmental Impact Bonds

As climate change pushes U.S. cities to build protections against stronger storms and more frequent floods, the Rockefeller Foundation is helping cities with a novel kind of financing, one that transfers some of the risk of innovative projects from cities …

Senate Confirms New FEMA Chief Long

Brock Long was cleared by the Senate to become President Donald Trump’s emergency-management director Tuesday after gaining the support of one unlikely constituency: environmentalists. While climate advocates panned Trump’s selections to head the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Department, they …

Rising Seas May Wipe Out Jersey Towns and Millions in AAA Bonds

Few parts of the U.S. are as exposed to the threats from climate change as Ocean County, New Jersey. It was here in Seaside Heights that Hurricane Sandy flooded an oceanfront amusement park, leaving an inundated roller coaster as an …

Climate Change Research, Flood Mapping Funds Take Hit in Proposed Trump Budget

President Donald Trump’s first budget request to Congress would cut or eliminate a range of programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well those helping communities prepare for more intense flooding or hurricanes expected to result from climate change. …

Climate Change And The Nightmare Scenario for Florida’s Coastal Homeowners

On a predictably gorgeous South Florida afternoon, Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason sat in his office overlooking the white-linen restaurants of this affluent seaside community and wondered when climate change would bring it all to an end. He figured it …

FEMA Disaster Deductible Could Survive Trump Deregulation Drive

Donald Trump has said he wants to roll back many of Barack Obama’s regulations linked to climate change but there may be one exception: a federal disaster proposal aimed at getting states to prepare for the more intense storms forecast …