What steps can be taken to prepare certain communities for climate disasters, specifically with weather events becoming more frequent and severe? This is what a recent study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated future preparations for communities vulnerable to increased levels of damage from climate events in the southeastern United States.
For the study, the researchers used computer models to analyze weather events between 1981 and 2021 to build plans based on future climate events, as opposed to past events, especially with increased summer heat and hurricanes. The goal of the study was to ascertain the severity of future damage that southeastern United States communities could experience and evaluate how well they’re prepared to meet disaster preparedness. In the end, the researchers found that specific regions in the southeastern United States are prone to increased summer temperatures and precipitation events (rainfall) but aren’t properly prepared for these events due to outdated techniques based on past weather events.
“Disaster planning based on historical events is like driving forward while only looking in the rearview mirror,” said Dr. Erin Coughlan de Perez, who is an associate professor in the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and a co-author on the study. “Many communities are planning for what they have seen in the past, only slightly worse. They need to be preparing for things they haven’t seen at all.”
As noted, this study comes as the frequency and severity of weather events are increasing worldwide, with the Southeastern United States being specifically vulnerable to hurricanes. Recent examples are Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated Florida and much of the Southeastern United States in September and October 2024, respectively.
How will vulnerable communities prepare for climate disasters in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, EurekAlert!