The death toll from Hurricane Ida and its aftermath rose to 12 in Louisiana on Saturday, Reuters reports.
The big picture: Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said that number might continue to increase because so many people are relying on power from generators, which were blamed for four carbon monoxide deaths among the 12.
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans experienced a weather disaster since June, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal disaster declarations.
Why it matters: The data underscores the extent to which climate change and a warming planet are increasingly impacting Americans' lives on a daily basis, the Post notes.
President Biden on Saturday announced that he will travel to New Jersey and New York on Tuesday to survey damage from Hurricane Ida.
Driving the news: Biden will visit Manville, New Jersey, and Queens, New York, to examine the destruction caused by the remnants of Ida, which caused extreme flooding and falling debris throughout the Northeast.
Power should be restored in New Orleans by Wednesday, Entergy, the company that provides power to New Orleans and much of southeast Louisiana, said Friday.
The big picture: Nearly 1 million people in Louisiana lost electricity as Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm last week.
President Biden met with locals in Louisiana on Friday to offer federal assistance less than a week after Hurricane Ida tore through the Gulf Coast and destroyed millions of homes, AP reports.
Why it matters: Ida has killed at least 48 people in the Northeastern U.S. and 13 in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Over one million people were still without power in Louisiana as of Tuesday morning.
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced on Friday that New York City would increase its use of preventive measures like evacuations, alerts and travel bans during future storms.
The Northeast continued its recovery Friday after at least 48 people in five states died from extreme flooding caused by the remains of Hurricane Ida, AP reports.
Driving the news: In New Jersey, where the death toll was highest, at least 25 people died from torrential rainfall, including many who drowned after their vehicles were caught in flash floods, per AP.
Democrats' Beltway drama over their $3.5 trillion spending package could influence the outcomes at a critical United Nations climate summit this fall.
Driving the news: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is calling for a "pause" in senior Democrats' plan to move a $3.5 trillion package that would include major clean energy and climate measures.
The White House is boosting its cadre of climate science experts.
Driving the news: Philip Duffy, a physical scientist, has joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as a climate science adviser in the new climate and environment division.
Weather and climatescience experts are struggling to determine how their accurate warnings of potentially disastrous urban flooding, instigated by Hurricane Ida’s remnants and supercharged by climate change, still resulted in so many deaths.
Why it matters: As climate change exacerbates extreme precipitation events such as this one, disconnects between forecasters and the public will need to be fixed in order to limit future deaths.
Hot times, summer in the city: As rising temperatures turn urban centers into smoldering heat bubbles, cities are turning to technology like reflective pavement coatings and "cool roofs."
Why it matters: Climate change will keep making cities hotter, and municipal leaders are starting to acknowledge that planting trees, opening "cooling centers," and putting white paint on streets and rooftops will not be enough.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday that it will no longer require disaster survivors living on inherited land to prove homeownership before they can access federal assistance for rebuilding.
Why it matters: The policy disproportionately impacts Black families, whose land is often passed down informally rather than through legal deeds and wills, according to a Washington Post analysis published in July. The change comes on the heels of Hurricane Ida.
