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A ‘solution’ of governments and industry to the common practice of burning off methane pollution and other air pollutants at oil and gas facilities is seemingly less efficient than claimed. The result is continued pollution and potential harm. Where there’s drilling, there’s fire…but, also, sometimes, just gushing pollution.

Picture this: you move into a home in Northern Colorado, much like the one pictured above, lured to the state by work or by the promise of outdoor fun and mountain vistas. First, you discover that those fabled mountain views are sometimes obscured by a thick haze, which you learn is really harmful smog, for weeks on end. Smog forms when pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from oil and gas facilities. Cities in Colorado such as Denver and Fort Collins rank among the worst in the USA for air quality because of smog’s prevalence in the region. 

Then, you start to pay more attention to the oil and gas well pad in your neighborhood. Living next to this facility did not bother you too much at first, as you never observed any flames or pollution from the equipment on the facility. Plus, you read that Colorado banned routine venting and flaring at oil and gas facilities in order to protect people like you from air pollution. But, the more you look at the large cylinders on the well pad, the more you notice ripples of heat, like you see from pavement on hot days, emerging from the openings at the top. You wonder: “What have I been missing?”

The answer, unfortunately, is that you are living next to a facility where flaring occurs in equipment known as enclosed combustion devices (ECDs). This flaring can have negative impacts on both local air quality and the climate. 

What is Flaring?

Flaring is the process of burning methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas, and other harmful VOCs, at oil and gas facilities to “destroy” these compounds rather than release them directly into the atmosphere. “Destroying” in this case is a misnomer, as it really means converting it into another greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. This process is not perfect, meaning that some methane and VOCs still escape to the atmosphere. 

More on that later…

“Routine flaring,” which has been banned by states like Colorado and countries like Colombia and has been ordered to be phased out in other countries such as Ecuador, is the practice of burning methane gas produced along with oil that an operator is not capturing to sell. 

Oftentimes, even though methane gas is a product with a market value, it is cheaper and more convenient for an operator (especially in remote regions like the Ecuadorian Amazon) to simply burn it. But what is convenient for an operator is often harmful for communities, as they suffer the consequences of the pollution from routine flaring. This is why governments around the world are passing laws and rules to prohibit this practice.

However, even after routine flaring is prohibited, many facilities in places like Colorado still flare during drilling and fracking, and in the case of maintenance activities or emergencies. It is also done to destroy methane gas and other VOCs from other polluting equipment like storage tanks, where these gases evaporate off of the crude oil and wastewater. This is especially true of large facilities associated with the transmission and refining of oil and gas such as compressor stations and gas plants, where flares are used to burn off excess gases and therefore “control” pollution.

In other words, wherever there is oil and gas activity, there is likely to be flaring, even if “routine flaring” is prohibited.

Pollution from Flares

Whether routine or not, flaring traditionally occurs in elevated flares. These are tall stacks where the combustion process occurs at the top and is exposed, meaning there are often visible flames. The flames from these flares are a source of concern for community members who live near facilities and are a constant reminder of the impact oil and gas activities have on their health, their neighborhoods, and the climate.

This design also means that the flame is exposed to the elements, and it is not uncommon for these types of flares to be inefficient at burning methane gas and other VOCs, or for the flare to become unlit. In both cases, the flare ends up releasing gases to the atmosphere that it should be burning.

When we look at an inefficient, elevated flare with one of our OGI cameras (which are designed to visualize hydrocarbon compounds like methane and other VOCs that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye), we can see the pollutants that are not being destroyed by that flare and are instead being released into the atmosphere.

Here is an example from Colorado:

And from New Mexico:

Enclosed Combustion Devices as a More “Efficient” Solution

Recently, in states like Colorado and New Mexico, as well as in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the oil and gas industry has been replacing traditional, elevated flares with enclosed flares or enclosed combustion devices (ECDs). These flares enclose the flame to protect it from the elements, and therefore theoretically allow for greater control and more efficient burns. The presumption, based primarily on manufacturer’s technical documents, is that ECDs are oftentimes 95-98% efficient, meaning they burn 95-98% of the methane gas and other VOC compounds routed to them and only a small percentage of the total gas escapes to the atmosphere. But, very little independent testing has been done to ensure that ECDs are as efficient as manufacturers or operators claim.

ECDs also conveniently hide most visible evidence of flames or combustion from community members, many of whom therefore do not always recognize that ECDs are actually flares. 

When adoption of ECDs coincides with a heavily publicized ban on routine flaring such as in Colorado, or with a court decision to eliminate flaring in close proximity to vulnerable communities such as in Ecuador (en español), it becomes much easier to convince the public that flaring has been curbed or eliminated entirely. And with flaring “visibly” eliminated, oil and gas operators can more easily present themselves as having addressed some of the health and climate impacts associated with their industry.

The truth is not so convenient.

Years of evidence gathered using our OGI cameras to observe emissions from ECDs in states like Colorado demonstrates that concerning pollution due to inefficient combustion in ECDs is a common occurrence. In Colorado, we documented 352 emissions events at oil and gas facilities from 2022-2024. Of those 352 events, 98 were pollution from inefficient ECDs.

More troubling is that the presumption that ECDs are efficient is oftentimes referenced by operators to refute our evidence of pollution. They rarely provide data to actually demonstrate that the equipment is as efficient as advertised. They merely claim it is, while claiming that our evidence is therefore nothing to worry about.

You decide for yourself:

If these videos of pollution seem remarkably similar to the videos of pollution from the inefficient, traditional flares that were shared above, that is because they are.

It is important to note however that we cannot use these videos to claim that these ECDs are not 95-98% efficient because videos of pollution alone cannot tell us how much pollution is actually occurring. But for that exact same reason, operators cannot refute these videos by simply stating the ECDs are operating efficiently. 

The Truth about Flaring

Whether flaring is occurring as a result of routine flaring or as a result of a maintenance activity, it is a source of pollution.

Whether flaring is occurring in a traditional, elevated flare, or an ECD, there is commonly pollution associated with inefficient combustion.

Wherever oil and gas activity exists, flaring is likely to exist for one reason or another, even if the flames are hidden from plain sight.

The oil and gas industry still spends as much – if not more – time downplaying or concealing their polluting activities than actually addressing them. We are going to continue to make sure they do not get away with it.

The post Flaring in Plain Sight appeared first on Earthworks.

In recent years, the European Union and its member states have introduced measures to protect farmers from the unfair practices of large-scale retailers. But in Italy, as in the rest of the European single market, the reality remains one of reckless bargaining and a value chain that funnels wealth upwards, leaving exploited farmers scrambling to stay afloat.

In the back of a large agricultural warehouse, amidst loaded pallets, moving forklifts and empty crates stacked against the walls, Carmine* receives us in a small, bare-walled office lit by a cold neon light. Carmine is the chief operating officer of a company that produces and markets fruit and vegetables. As we talk, he opens a drawer and pulls out a thick folder full of papers and contracts.

“In here we have the framework agreement that we signed with a large retail chain,” he says, flipping through the pages from memory, like one who knows every comma of every clause. He stops at a line highlighted in yellow. “See, 10 per cent invoice discount. It’s there in black and white.”

He says this with a tone that wavers between resignation and matter-of-factness. The figure, he explains, is the “ristorno”, or rebate: a portion of the turnover that agricultural suppliers have to return to the large-scale retail trade (Grande Distribuzione Organizzata, GDO) at the end of the year. Officially, the rebate is justified as a contribution for flyers, advertising, logistical support, or the opening of new stores. But for people in the industry the meaning is far more straightforward: “that 10 per cent is the tribute you pay to work with them. To get access to their shelves. If you don’t accept it, you’re out.”

This practice is not the exception, but rather the firmly established rule, which everyone knows about but never openly denounces. “On average it’s 10 per cent, but there are chains that demand 12, 13, even 14 per cent. It depends on your bargaining power.”

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The ristorno is the hidden margin deducted by the large-scale retail trade at the end of the season. And it’s only the tip of the iceberg. What Carmine shows us is the hidden face of the relationship between large retail chains and those who work the land: an opaque system consisting of forced discounts, unilaterally determined scrap rates, digital bargaining systems to get the lowest price, impossible delivery schedules, and relentless inspections that can invalidate entire shipments for the most trivial reasons.

The result is that farms are now on their last legs. Margins are shrinking, costs are rising, and in many areas – even those that have always been highly suited to agriculture – farms are starting to close down. This investigation is the result of months of work that included dozens of interviews conducted throughout the Po Valley, in particular the large fruit and vegetable district of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, where there are producers and cooperatives that also buy produce from other parts of Italy, and sign contracts with retail chains.

Today, in these once fruitful lands, the climate has changed. Not just because of the increasingly extreme weather, but also because the numbers have stopped adding up. Many younger people have given up on taking over the family business. Others resist, but they often find themselves at a crossroads. “Sometimes you ask yourself if it wouldn’t be better to just leave the fruit on the tree rather than harvest it at a loss”, confides a producer with 40 years of farming behind him. 

Everyone talks in whispers. Everyone requests anonymity. Obtaining interviews, in this environment, means first and foremost listening and reassuring. Confidentiality is a necessary condition. It’s not just fear: it’s a question of survival. In a system where a simple email can be enough to lose a contract, raising your voice can put you out of business.

The process of selection and control in fruit distribution. Romagna, June 2025. ©Michele Lapini Structural windfall

Behind the orderly crates of peaches and courgettes, behind the neat and tidy supermarket shelves, there hides a reality of uneven bargaining, forced compromise and slashed margins, where those who work the land are often the lowest link in a chain that only moves wealth upwards.

Not even the consumer benefits from this tight and often cut-throat bargaining. The so-called ristorno gives them no advantage. The price at which the product is sold comes from a given price list, and is not the producer’s discounted price. The citizen, in short, pays as if there were no discount. And so the circle is closed. The producer, already beaten down by rising costs and suffocating demands, accepts the discount to avoid being locked out of the system. The consumer, ignorant of these dynamics, continues to pay the full price. And at the top, large-scale retailers earn a net profit, which many in the sector do not hesitate to define as a “structural windfall” – a systematic gain created from a power imbalance.

“It’s a system that only moves value upwards”, says Carmine, closing the folder. “The agricultural side of things has become an accounting anomaly, an underpaid supplier who is always under pressure. But as long as the fruit arrives and looks good on the shelves, no one asks any questions.” 

Millions changing pockets

Carmine’s company draws a six-figure turnover with large-scale retail trade. Applying the 10 per cent rebate to this sum, as well as the turnover of thousands of other suppliers, a mountain of money passes every year from the pockets of the producers to those of the retail chains. 

This is not some marginal deviation or aggressive commercial strategy practiced by only the most unscrupulous chains. The “entry tax” for a seat with the major distributors is the general rule, grudgingly accepted by all the producers interviewed. Every contract we had a chance to view included it, from low-cost chains like Eurospin and MD, to more traditional chains like Conad and Carrefour.

“The rebate is not up for discussion”, confirm all the operators. “At most you might manage to negotiate one or two percentage points, but all the brands use it,” says Carmine. “We always have to take into account this 10 per cent deducted at the end of the year. And the numbers don’t always add up.”

Aerial view of crates used to transport fruit. Romagna, June 2025. ©Michele Lapini A law with no teeth 

Carmine’s claims are backed up by a recent report by Italy’s Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (ISMEA), the public body that monitors the prices of agricultural products. According to the report, out of every 100 euro spent by the consumer, only 7 end up in the hands of the farmer as net profit. “Logistics and distributors now take the largest cut of the final value”, the ISMEA report states. “The agricultural stage, on the other hand, continues to be penalised.”   

Precisely in order to rebalance this distortion in the market, in 2019 the European Union approved a directive against unfair commercial practices in the agri-food sector. The directive introduced two lists: a black list, which bans certain practices outright, and a grey list, which allows specific practices only when formalised in writing. Among the practices that are banned outright are last-minute cancellations of orders of perishable goods, and the unilateral modification of contracts. However, many of the most common demands of the large-scale retail trade are greylisted, and these are now legal when formally recognised. And thus the mechanism continues to function as before.   

In 2021, Italy implemented the European directive with law 198, and took it even further: the law bans electronic reverse auctions and below-cost sales, and entrusts the supervision of compliance to the Central Inspectorate of Quality Protection and Fraud Repression (ICQRF), a body of the Ministry of Agriculture, which can also receive anonymous complaints. Progress, in theory, but an illusion in practice.

“The devil is in the details,” declares the director of another fruit and vegetable company. “These practices that increase our hardship, such as the ristorno or compulsory promotions, are on the grey list. So for now we are not only forced to accept them, but we also have to sign contracts that enshrine their legitimacy. It’s even worse than that: we are self-certifying the reduction of our profits.”

A fruit stall with promotions. Parma, June 2025. ©Michele Lapini

The disproportionate relationship between the damage incurred by agriculture and the efficacy of the regulatory response can also be seen in the numbers. Lawyer Gualtiero Roveda, an expert in agri-food law, puts it in severe terms: “the European directive and law 198 that implements it are a band-aid for the mortally wounded.” You only have to look at the numbers: according to ICQRF data, between 2023 and 2024 the penalties imposed for unfair practices amounted to a total of just 665,000 euros. “A laughable figure”, says the lawyer, “when compared to losses estimated at more than 350 million euros per year for the entire Italian agricultural and food supply chain.”

Speaking of the mortally wounded, agricultural businesses are gasping for breath. Sometimes they change crops, and sometimes they simply shut down. “Every year hundreds of farmers decide to give up because they’re in the red,” explains Roveda. According to an investigation conducted among farmers by Agri 2000 Net, an agricultural services company, 30,000 farms are at risk of closure in Emilia-Romagna alone. The majority of those surveyed said that poor profitability was the reason they would consider shutting down.

“To break this vicious circle, there needs to be intervention in the asymmetrical relationship between agriculture and retail distribution,”continues Roveda. “Those who produce are in a position of weakness. They are fragmented, and often have little voice in the capital. The retail chains are in a position to impose one-sided conditions. And now they can do it with perfectly legal practices.”

Retail chains are in a position to impose one-sided conditions. And now they can do it with perfectly legal practices.

A silent bloodbath

In the silence of his office, amidst files and folders full of documents, Mirko – director of a large fruit and vegetable company – greets us with a dry gesture and shows us a chart. It is a simple but ruthless diagram illustrating the development of peach and nectarine production between 2006 and 2024.

“Look here”, he says, pointing to the figures. “In Emilia-Romagna we’ve lost 70 per cent of the cultivated land and 69 per cent of the quantity produced. In Veneto it’s even worse: minus 73 per cent of the cultivated land, and minus 69 per cent of the quantity produced.” He rests his head against the back of his chair, as if to catch his breath. “There was a silent bloodbath. And there was just one reason: we couldn’t get adequate prices. In the end, many ended up ditching the farm because they couldn’t make a living.”

Mirko takes a blank sheet of paper and draws a kind of freehand profit and loss table. “Let’s say that in the supermarket a peach is sold for two euros per kilo. At that point I have to set a selling price of one euro per kilo. But that euro is the gross price, from which I have to subtract everything: transport, processing, packaging. And also the compulsory 10 per cent ristorno for the GDO.” Then he stops and lowers his gaze. “At the end of the chain, if all goes well, the farmer is left with 30 cents. From two euros.” Finally, he adds, almost to himself: “and with those 30 cents we have to run a farm.”

A fruit and vegetable stall with promotions. Parma, June 2025. ©Michele Lapini Global market, local losses

When we buy a peach, a head of lettuce, or a bunch of grapes at the supermarket, we rarely ask ourselves where it comes from, who grew it, picked it, sorted it, and with what margins. The agri-food supply chain is long and fragmented, with several invisible but crucial steps. The product starts in the field and arrives, in most cases, at a cooperative or producers’ organisation. There it is packaged, selected for size and quality, and finally offered to large retailers. It is the cooperative or producers’ organisation that sits at the negotiating table with the GDO.

“Price negotiation takes place online, and sometimes it is settled by phone,” says Guido, director of a large cooperative in the Emilia-Romagna region. “There are several levels: first there are negotiations with the national retail chains, then the regional buyers may want to reopen negotiations. It is a process of continual renegotiation.” The price lists are normally weekly, but they can also change three times in a single week, depending on the season and product line. “The price is determined by the market,” he adds. “But in this market, those who sell are almost always in a position of weakness. Especially when it’s fresh products that perish quickly. Those who have the power to stock or reject these goods also have the power to dictate conditions.”

The “market”, moreover, has to be understood in the global sense, because Italian supermarkets don’t only buy from Italian producers. “Sometimes they can call us to say that the Spanish product costs less. Or the Greeks are offering a consignment at a lower price. The message is clear: either you accept these conditions, or you’re off the shelf.” It’s a subtle but continual form of pressure, which fundamentally undermines the principle of reciprocity that should regulate commercial relations.

Dumping on the European scale

In some cases, the game is even more sophisticated. A legal but economically and socially devastating international dumping mechanism is created. “An Italian brand might call a Spanish supplier for a promotion on peaches,” Mirko explains. “The Spaniard gladly accepts, because an increase in demand in Italy allows him to raise prices on the German or French markets. The price in Italy, on the other hand, goes down.” The result? The Italian producer, who in theory should be favoured in the domestic market, finds himself out of the game. Or he is forced to agree to prices that don’t even cover production costs.

Irrigation of farmland in the Parma province. June 2025. ©Michele Lapini

“It’s all perfectly legal, even if deeply immoral”, he adds, showing a photo of a Eurospin fruit stand where Spanish peaches are being sold for 1.69 euros per kilo, exactly half the price of Italian peaches in the same supermarket. “The supply chain has become a European battlefield, but without any common rules. There are no limitations to cross-border procurement, nor instruments that offer genuine protection to producers.”

Thus, beneath the reassuring surface of shiny fruit displayed on supermarket stands, there hides a silent war made up of pressures, implicit extortion, and unequal negotiation. And those who grow the food we eat are often the weakest link in a chain that keeps getting longer, more complex, and more opaque.

Those who grow the food we eat are often the weakest link in a chain that keeps getting longer, more complex, and more opaque.

An overcrowded supply chain

“The disparity is in the numbers. For the 7000 people selling fruit and vegetables to the GDO, we have 25 retail chains. As a sector, we have our responsibilities too”, concludes Mirko. “If we were able to join up, to really come together, we would clearly have more contractual strength.”

But hyper-fragmentation also exists upstream. The retail chains also suffer from it, though in a different way. “There are too many points of sale,” says Mario Gasbarrino, the managing director of the Decò group, with years of experience with the upper echelons of large-scale retail trade. “In my view, at least 3000 supermarkets ought to close.”

Gasbarrino is not looking for shortcuts. He recognises the distortions in the supply chain, the questionable mechanisms, the continual pressures. The ristorno, he explains, “has always existed” in purchasing dynamics. Paradoxically, however, the practice has been dwindling for all products except fruit and vegetables, where it continues to grow. Gasbarrino also admits that the negotiations are often “muscular”. But the point, he says, is even larger. “We are in a deep crisis. Sales are falling, wages are stagnant. In this context, it’s a continual war, all against all. And when the horse won’t drink, there is nothing that can be done. It’s kill or be killed.” 

A brutal snapshot, but one that does not apply to everyone equally. Some large-scale retail chains are floundering: the French multinational Carrefour, after years in the red, is considering pulling out of Italy. Auchan, also a French company, left in 2019. Overall, however, the sector is holding strong, and even growing. This is confirmed by an analysis conducted by Area Studi Mediobanca: between 2019 and 2023, the largest retail chains recorded billions in profits. Eurospin leads the ranks with 1.56 billion euros, followed by VéGé (1.33 billion) and Selex (1.28 billion).

At this point, an unavoidable question arises: how much of these profits are derived from what Gasbarrino calls “muscular negotiations” with suppliers? How much extra margin has been snatched from an agricultural supply chain that is in increasingly dire condition, especially when it comes to perishable goods? On this point, Gasbarrino is clear. “Fresh fruit and vegetables are the most critical sector, and yet it’s all topsy-turvy. You plan promotions two months in advance, when you don’t even know if the products will be there. It’s absurd. Fresh products, by their very nature, should not be part of such promotional logic.” 

Promotions: a lose-lose game

“The promotions are a real disgrace”, confirms Walter from the other side of the barricade. Walter is a farmer in the Emilia-Romagna region with 30 years of experience and owner of a major fruit and vegetable company in the region. Sales, he explains, have become one of the most insidious traps in the supply chain. “They are no longer intended to get rid of excess produce, as they used to be. Now they are run by the supermarkets according to a logic of pure marketing, rather than agricultural considerations. They are only used to attract clients to the point of sale. And it’s us who pay the price.”

The concept of promotion has been turned on its head: from an instrument that supports the producer in times of surplus, it has become a commercial mechanism that serves the interests of the retailers. “If the retail chain decides that the apricots should go on sale for 1.29 euros per kilo, then you just have to accept it. And often you will have to sell below cost. No one asks about your margin. They only ask if you can deliver. And the response has to be yes.”

In the large warehouse of his farm, where the summer fruit season has just started, Walter moves between machines and automated production lines. The fruits are calibrated one by one, passing on rollers that measure their diameter to the last millimetre. “Each retail chain has its own specifications: there are those that only want peaches from 65 to 72 millimetres. 64 or 73 are no good. The market doesn’t want them. Even if they are perfect, even if they taste the same.”

An orchard in Romagna. July 2025. ©Michele Lapini

After calibration, the fruits are sorted manually. Female workers watch the fruit pass one by one: one small blemish, one crack, and the fruit is rejected. “It’s called commercial waste, but in many cases it’s still good fruit. And it’s up to us to find a place for it elsewhere, perhaps in industry, at ridiculously low prices. Or just throw it away.”

But the real paradox, says Walter, comes later, at the packaging stage. “We can’t even choose who we work with. They impose their own choice of firms that we have to buy our trays, labels, and cartons from, even if they cost more than the market price, even if we pay them more than we’d pay if we arranged it all ourselves. It’s all imposed on us. And we know that a cut of these costs end up in the coffers of the retail chain, as a kind of guaranteed percentage.”

It’s a subtle but pervasive form of control. “We’ve become packers for third parties. They provide the specifications, choose the materials, dictate the schedule. Our autonomy stops at the orchard.”

And yet, Walter points out, all of this happens in total silence. “The consumer doesn’t know. All they see is a nice price. They don’t imagine that behind the 1.29-euro tray there are hours of work, kilos of discarded fruit, imposed materials, hidden mark-ups, and an agriculture sector that is increasingly struggling to survive.”

And so the producers continue to suffer in silence, hoping that circumstances in the market might swing to their favour. “If by chance there’s a shortage of produce, prices go up. At that point we too can adapt: we sink the knife into the butter. But we only get to handle this knife one week a year, if we’re lucky,” says Walter.

The non-compliance trick

Different area, same script. We are in the Bologna province, amid greenhouses and industrial warehouses converted for agricultural logistics. Corrado has been growing vegetables for three generations. His warehouse is abuzz: he is preparing pallets of lettuce to be loaded onto a truck bound for a large retailer. “90 per cent of my turnover depends on large-scale retail trade,” he says in a neutral tone, as if it were a simple fact and not some kind of complaint.

For Corrado too, the main problem is the asymmetry in the balance of power. “When we sign an agreement, for us it is law. For them, it’s a reversible option.” Corrado recounts a recent episode involving a contract that was closed through his cooperative with a large national retailer for 10 pallets of aubergines, with an agreed price of 60 cents per kilo. Nothing out of the ordinary. Until the buyer found another supplier willing to sell for 50 cents. “At that point he decided he no longer needed my product.”

And the contract? “He sent back seven pallets, on the grounds of non-compliance. It was just a pretext. The produce was perfect, we all knew it. But they can afford to behave like that. And we cannot.”

Empty fruit crates in front of the Agri-Food Centre of Bologna (CAAB), where producers meet distributors. ©Michele Lapini

This behaviour is in fact one of the commercial practices blacklisted by law 198, which implements the European directive on unfair practices. In theory, Corrado was entitled to report everything to the ICQRF. But he didn’t do so. He didn’t even give it much thought.

“Do you remember Peron?” he asks, crossing his arms. Fortunato Peron, a well-known pear seller from the Cesena province, a few years ago reported the supermarket chain Coop Italia to the Antitrust Authority for breach of contract. He won. But after that, no one ever called him. “He went out of business. Cancelled. Our sector has a long memory and thin skin. If you go against the retailers, you’re finished.”

The paradox of the agri-food supply chain is this: those who grow the food, those who harvest it by hand, are the ones who earn the least. At the bottom of the chain, agricultural producers have become the weak link, crushed between rising costs and prices imposed from above. And so the system fuels a war between the lower ranks: the large cooperatives and producers’ organisations, under pressure from retailers, end up shifting the burden onto individual farmers, especially the smallest ones, who have no voice or bargaining power. Rebates, extra costs, lost earnings: it all flows downstream, where there’s no room to plan ahead. Then there’s the fact that accounts, in most cases, are settled at the end of the year, when it’s already too late.

If the producer falls, so does everything else.

The disaster accountant

We are in the middle of Romagna: the acrid smell of cut grass mingles with the sweeter smell of freshly picked peaches. Andrea is a young farmer, in his early thirties. After studying agriculture he chose to stay on the farm with his father. “I didn’t want to be a technician, I wanted to be a farmer. But today, more than a farmer, I’m a disaster accountant.”

He speaks calmly, with a firm voice, without a hint of self-pity. Like a man who realised long ago that the rules of the game are not his to design. “The problem is always this: the price. Every week the cooperative sends us the price list. And we accept it. There’s no alternative. What can we do, stop harvesting? The fruit ripens, and if it’s not picked it has to be tossed out. And tossing it out hurts even more.”

Of the large retailers, he knows only their reflection. “I’ve never seen a buyer. I don’t even know what they look like. We bring the products, they tell us if it’s alright. And then we wait for the transfer. And the rebate, which arrives later, is like a deferred tax. Sometimes they deduct the only margin we thought we had. It’s not a surprise any more, it’s a sentence foretold.”

When asked if he has ever thought of quitting, Andrea thinks for a moment. “I’ve never thought of giving up, but I have stopped fooling myself. My grandfather used to say that the land gives you everything you need. Today it only gives you survival. And without another income in the family, or a little luck, you go under.”

Then there’s a word that is often repeated among the producers: dignity. They hardly ever talk about profits, growth, or operating margins. They talk about staying afloat, about being able to work without being subjected to a fresh imposition every day. “All we ask is to be treated as a part of the supply chain, not as its servants”, says Andrea. “Because if the producer falls, so does everything else.”

*All the names of the agricultural producers interviewed have been changed at their request, and all identifying details have been omitted.

Stefano Liberti is a 2025 Bertha Challenge Fellow. This is the second article in a four-part investigation coordinated by Internazionale with the support of the Bertha Challenge fellowship. The Italian version of this article is published by Internazionale.

Translated by Ciarán Lawless | Voxeurop

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I’m happy to announce that Ellen Moore is stepping into a new role as Earthworks’ Mining Program Director. 

Ellen comes to this role after eight years at Earthworks, most recently as interim co-director of our mining team following Payal Sampat’s departure to the 11th Hour Project. 

Ellen most recently served as the founding manager of Earthworks’ Making Clean Energy Clean, Just and Equitable campaign, advocating for meeting climate goals while also protecting community health, water, human rights, and the environment from the harmful impacts of mining. She has represented Earthworks in key private sector and public policy arenas, supported Earthworks’ efforts in key coalitions, and assisted with subgrants and partnerships in communities in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe, all while supervising a dynamic global team. 

Ellen’s first position at Earthworks was supporting global mining campaigns and working alongside communities to prevent mining where it is not appropriate and reduce mining’s harm to the local water, air, and ecosystems. Notably, Ellen has supported communities in Guatemala including the Xinka Parliament as they lead a court-ordered consultation process over the Escobal silver mine. 

In 2019, Ellen designed and led Earthworks’ successful Ditch Ocean Dumping campaign that stopped mining companies from dumping mine waste into the ocean and continues to expose the grave risks of mining to the world’s fisheries and marine environments. 

Prior to Earthworks, Ellen worked at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada on regional mining issues, and at the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), where she first encountered mining impacts. 

We are thrilled to have her strategic acumen and her commitment to justice in her new role leading the mining team.

The post New Leadership for Earthworks’ Mining Program appeared first on Earthworks.

Fed up with pricey electricity from an unreliable grid, Pakistanis have snapped up cheap solar panels. In an interview, Muhammad Mustafa Amjad, of Islamabad-based Renewables First, says his country can stand as a model for other nations as they transition away from fossil fuels.

Read more on E360 →

Koalas, which spend most of their lives high up in eucalyptus trees, usually die while on the ground, often mauled by dogs or hit by cars. More striking, a new study reveals that the amount of time they spend on the ground is only around 10 minutes a day.

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Flooding is a fact of life in Texas Hill Country, a region home to a flood-prone corridor known as “Flash Flood Alley.” Judge Rob Kelly, the top elected official in Kerr County, said as much on Sunday.

“We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” he said as a desperate search for survivors continued along the Guadalupe, a river that rose more than 30 feet in just five hours last week. “But nobody saw this coming.”

County records show that some Kerr County officials did see it coming and raised concerns about the county’s outdated flood warning system nearly a decade ago. 

Their first request for help updating the technology was denied in 2017, when Kerr County applied for roughly $1 million in federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program aid from the Texas Department of Emergency Management. County officials tried again in 2018 after Hurricane Harvey swept Texas, killing 89 people and causing some $159 billion in damage. Again, the state denied the request, directing most federal assistance toward more densely populated areas, including Houston.  

As neighboring counties invested in better emergency warning systems, Kerr County — the heart of Flash Flood Alley — never modernized an antiquated flood warning system that lacks basic components like sirens and river gauges. At least 110 people, including 27 children, have died so far in the deadliest floods the state has seen since 1921. Most of them drowned in Kerr County, largely because they didn’t know the water was coming. The search for at least 161 other people continues.

Trees emerge from floodwaters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
Eric Vryn / Getty Images

The matter of who should have fronted the money for flood system upgrades is at the heart of swelling controversy in Texas. Public outrage has spurred the kind of action that, had it happened years ago, might have saved lives. “The state needs to step up and pay,” said Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on Monday this week. “The governor and I talked this morning at length about it, and he said, ‘We’re just gonna do it.’”

But even as Texas races to prepare Kerr County for future extreme weather events, the federal government is speeding in the opposite direction. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has taken an axe to the country’s resilience efforts, undoing years of progress toward helping communities withstand the consequences of climate change.  

In April, the Trump administration canceled the Building Resilient Communities Program, or BRIC, which funnels billions of dollars to states, municipalities, and tribal nations so they can prepare for future disasters. Ironically, Trump signed this program into law during his first term. But now, in the name of eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse,” the Trump administration has cut $750 million in new resilience funding and clawed back nearly $900 million in grant funding already promised but not yet disbursed to states for improvements like upgrading stormwater systems, performing prescribed burns, and building flood control systems. FEMA also canceled $600 million in Flood Mitigation Assistance funding to communities this year, money that helps states protect buildings from flooding. Government analyses have determined that every dollar spent preparing for a disaster reaps $6 or more in costs saved down the road.

The federal Hazard Mitigation Program funding that Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested alongside his request for a major disaster declaration following the catastrophic flooding that began July 4 — the same pot of money Kerr County tried to tap to modernize its flood warning infrastructure in 2017 and 2018 — is still pending as of Tuesday, according to the governor’s office. 

“Historically, if a state has requested Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding as part of the disaster declaration, it’s been approved,” said Anna Weber, a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. But the government hasn’t approved that type of funding in months. “Ultimately, the president has the authority to declare the disaster declaration and determine what’s included in that declaration.”

In sum, these actions at the federal level make it more likely that communities across the country will be caught flat-footed as climate change makes extreme weather events more intense and unpredictable. “There’s so many communities that, when they look at their flooding data, their disaster risk data, their future climate projections, they understand their risk and they understand what their new normal may be,” said Victoria Salinas, who led FEMA’s resilience initiatives under former president Joe Biden. “But then they are powerless to do things about it because it often requires money, expertise, and people power.” 

Search and rescue workers and locals look through debris swept up in flash flooding. Eric Vryn / Getty Images

Rural and underprivileged areas like Kerr County are at particular risk. They often lack the resources and know-how to obtain resilience funding from state and federal officials. The BRIC program had a technical assistance arm dedicated to helping these “lower capacity” communities develop strong applications. That’s also gone. “As far as we know, not only will there not be technical assistance provided through this program going forward, but there are communities out there that were, say, one year into a three-year technical assistance agreement through this program that are now unsure about whether or not they’re going to be able to continue,” Weber said.

That means it’ll largely be up to states and counties to fund preparedness projects. It’s not a guarantee that states will take action or that communities will embrace solutions. Even a state like Texas, which has the second-biggest economy in the country, has been loath to help counties pay for disaster resilience initiatives. A measure that would have established a government council and grant program to reform local disaster warning systems across Texas failed in the state Senate this year. 

“I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now,” said state Representative Wes Virdell, a Republican from Central Texas who voted against the bill.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline This Texas county asked for disaster resilience help. The flood came first. on Jul 8, 2025.

As growing populations denude its slopes and heavy rain intensifies, Mount Elgon has become increasingly vulnerable to landslides. In response, Ugandan farmers are planting native trees and changing the crops they plant in efforts to build resilience against future disasters.

Read more on E360 →

Rescue crews are scrambling to find survivors of catastrophic flooding that tore through Central Texas on the Fourth of July. It’s already one of the deadliest flood events in modern American history, leaving at least 95 people dead, 27 of whom were girls and counselors at a Christian summer camp in Kerr County, which was inundated when the nearby Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes. 

“It’s the worst-case scenario for a very extreme, very sudden, literal wall of water,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, during a livestream Monday morning. “I don’t think that’s an exaggeration in this case, based on the eyewitness accounts and the science involved.”

It will take some time for scientists to do proper “attribution” studies here, to say for instance how much extra rain they can blame on climate change. But generally speaking, this disaster has climate change’s marks all over it — a perfect storm of conspiring phenomena, both in the atmosphere and on the ground. “To people who are still skeptical that the climate crisis is real, there’s such a clear signal and fingerprint of climate change in this type of event,” said Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center.

Read Next Disaster 101: Your guide to extreme weather preparation, relief, and recovery Lyndsey Gilpin

This tragedy actually started hundreds of miles to the southeast, out at sea. As the planet has warmed, the gulf has gotten several degrees Fahrenheit hotter. That’s turned it into a giant puddle of fuel for hurricanes barreling toward the Gulf Coast, since those storms feed on warm seawater. 

Even when a hurricane isn’t brewing, the gulf is sending more moisture into the atmosphere — think about how your bathroom mirror fogs up when you draw a hot bath. This pushes wet, unstable air higher and higher into the atmosphere, condensing into clouds. As these systems release heat, they grow even more unstable, creating a towering thundercloud that can drop extreme amounts of rainfall. Indeed, preceding the floods, the amount of moisture above Texas was at or above the all-time record for July, according to Swain. “That is fairly extraordinary, in the sense that this is a place that experiences very moist air this time of year,” Swain said. 

That meant the system both had the requisite moisture for torrential rainfall, plus the instability that creates the thunderstorms that make that rain fall very quickly. This storm was dumping 2 to 4 inches of rain an hour, and it was moving very slowly, so it essentially stalled over the landscape — a gigantic atmospheric fire hose soaking Central Texas.

Making matters worse, the ground in this part of Texas is loaded with limestone, which doesn’t readily absorb rainwater compared to places with thick layers of soil at the surface. Rainwater rapidly flowed down hills and valleys and gathered in rivers, which is why the Guadalupe rose so fast. “That means that not very much of the rain is going to soak into the ground, partly because the soil is shallow and partly because there’s steep slopes in the terrain, so that water is able to run off fairly quickly,” said John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas’ state climatologist and director of the Southern Regional Climate Center at Texas A&M University.

This is exactly the kind of precipitation event that’s increasing fastest in a warming climate, Swain added. In California, for instance, alternating periods of extremely wet conditions and extremely dry ones are creating “weather whiplash.” As the world’s bodies of water heat up, more moisture can evaporate into the atmosphere. And due to some basic physics, the warmer it gets, the more moisture the atmosphere can hold, so there’s more potential for heavier rainfall. 

“The Gulf of Mexico has been going through several marine heat waves recently, and so it’s just adding that much more heat to the atmosphere, loading it up for more extreme rainfall events,” said Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “A lot of these places, 1-in-100-year floods may be becoming more like 1-in-50, even 1-in-10.” AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate puts the economic damage of the flooding at between $18 billion and $22 billion.

The Trump administration did make deep staffing cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year, but it’s too early to tell why some people didn’t get warnings in time. The National Weather Service did indeed provide multiple flood warnings, and some people are reporting they got alerts on their cell phones, prompting them to escape. Still, with so many people dead or missing, they either didn’t get the alerts or didn’t adequately understand the danger they were in. Officials in Kerr County previously considered a more robust warning system for Guadalupe River floods, but rejected it as too expensive.

For the girls and staff at the summer camp, the deluge arrived at the worst possible time, in the early hours of the morning while they slept. “In my view — and this seems to be the consensus view of meteorologists — this is not really a failure of meteorology here,” Swain said. “To my eye, the Weather Service predictions, they certainly weren’t perfect, but they were as good as could have been expected given the state of the science.”

Swain warns that if the administration follows through on its promises of further more cuts to NOAA, forecasts of flooding could well suffer. “That really could be catastrophic,” he said. “That will 100 percent be responsible for costing lives.” 

Grist has a comprehensive guide to help you stay ready and informed before, during, and after a disaster.

• Are you affected by the flooding in Texas and North Carolina? Learn how to navigate disaster relief and response.
• Get prepared. Learn how to be ready for a disaster before you’re affected.
• Explore the full Disaster 101 resource guide for more on your rights and options when disaster hits.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The science behind Texas’ catastrophic floods on Jul 7, 2025.

The Republican spending bill, signed into law Friday, will reset the course for the U.S. energy sector, analyses show. The law rapidly phases out tax credits for wind, solar, and electric cars, while making it cheaper to drill and mine for fossil fuels on federal lands. 

Read more on E360 →

• How to prepare for a disaster

  Your guide to finding accurate information, emergency kits, evacuations, protecting your home, and more if you’re at risk of a hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disaster.

  Lyndsey Gilpin
• How disaster relief and response work

  Your guide to the agencies and programs responsible for emergency services and disaster aid, how to return home and clean up safely, navigate FEMA aid, and more after a hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disaster.

  Lyndsey Gilpin
• What you should know about disaster recovery 

  Your guide to this months- or years-long process, from rebuilding your home, to taking care of your mental health, avoiding scams to finding community support after you experience a hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disaster.

  Lyndsey Gilpin

No matter where you live, extreme weather can hit your area and change your life. Whether it’s a hurricane, winter storm, flash flood, tornado, wildfire, or heat wave, disasters can damage or destroy your home and property, cause lengthy power outages, and stall civic services. Grist created a comprehensive guide to help you stay ready and informed before, during, and after these traumatic and chaotic events, as well as where to find and build support in your community. We list the most accurate weather updates and emergency alerts, explain the roles different agencies play in disaster aid, and provide details on your rights. 

We gathered need-to-know information from government websites, trusted nonprofits and community organizations, and news media. It’s all fact-checked and will be updated periodically. Have something to add? Reach out: community@grist.org.

• What exactly is a natural disaster?

  Here are the types of extreme weather you may face — from tornadoes to floods to snow storms — and the officials who determine how severe it is and how financial assistance is distributed.

  Lyndsey Gilpin
• How to access food before, during, and after a disaster

  Use this guide to find out more about keeping food safe, getting fresh, hot meals in a time of crisis, and learning how to navigate food programs.

  Ayurella Horn-Muller
• How to find housing and rebuild your home after a disaster

  A guide for renters and homeowners on knowing your rights, as well as how to handle FEMA aid and insurance claims, avoid contractor scams, and rebuild in a way that protects your home.

  Amal Ahmed

• Know your rights as an immigrant before, during, and after disasters

  Here are trusted, reliable resources to use during extreme weather or natural disasters for non-English speakers and undocumented immigrants.

  Victoria Bouloubasis
• Conozca sus derechos como inmigrante antes, durante y después de un desastre

  A continuación, hallará fuentes confiables y seguras para usar durante fenómenos climáticos extremos o desastres naturales para personas que no hablan inglés e inmigrantes indocumentados

  Victoria Bouloubasis
• Know your voting rights before, during, and after a disaster

  If extreme weather disrupts local services or destroys your belongings around election day, here’s how to make sure you can still cast your ballot.

  Lyndsey Gilpin & Jake Bittle

The resources above were made to help you quickly sift through urgent information. They’re easy to load if you have little cell service or download as a PDF for offline reading if a storm knocks out power.

Everything on this page is available for republication and/or translation with credit to Grist and the author. The republishing link is located at the bottom left of each guide. We encourage you to adapt these, adding contact information, instructions, and updates for your town, state, or tribal nation.

Republishing guidelines Featured Grist / Getty Images Grist / Getty Images How to protect your health if a disaster strikes your community 

Your guide to the biggest health consequences of extreme weather — from mosquito-and tick-borne illnesses to mental health issues — and how to best prepare for them.

Zoya Teirstein Staff Writer

How are disasters and climate linked?

The stories below provide more context on the connection between climate change and disasters, as well as other relevant news and updates.

• How climate change is intensifying hurricanes

  The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.

  Amal Ahmed Extreme Weather
• How climate change is supercharging wildfires

  The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.

  Amal Ahmed Extreme Weather
• How climate change is worsening flooding and heavy rainfall

  The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.

  Amal Ahmed Extreme Weather
• How climate change is worsening extreme heat

  The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.

  Amal Ahmed Extreme Weather
• How climate change may be affecting tornadoes

  The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters— and how they may be playing out where you live.

  Amal Ahmed Extreme Weather

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This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Disaster 101: Your guide to extreme weather preparation, relief, and recovery on Jul 7, 2025.

Walk outside into 100-degree heat wearing a black shirt, and you’ll feel a whole lot hotter than if you were wearing white. Now think about your roof: If it’s also dark, it’s soaking up more of the sun’s energy and radiating that heat indoors. If it were a lighter color, it’d be like your home was wearing a giant white shirt all the time.

This is the idea behind the “cool roof.” Last month, Atlanta joined a growing number of American cities requiring that new roofs be more reflective. That significantly reduces temperatures not just in a building, but in the surrounding urban environment. “I really wanted to be able to approach climate change in the city of Atlanta with a diversity of tactics,” said City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, who authored the bill, “because it’s far easier to change a local climate than it is a global one.”

Because cities set their own building codes, they can regulate roofs regardless of the whims of the Trump administration, which is aggressively rolling back climate policies. Experts say cool roofs are a simple, relatively cheap, and effective way to save people from extreme heat. “I like to say that reflective materials transform rooftops from problem to power,” said Daniel J. Metzger, a senior fellow at Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. “Cool roofs give homeowners the power to improve health outcomes and air quality while saving money on their own energy bills.”

Other cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, have also passed cool-roof ordinances, but they often only cover flat roofs, like you’d see on a commercial building. Atlanta’s ordinance covers all roofs, though it only mandates that new ones be made cool — it’s not forcing anyone to rip theirs off if it’s not time to replace. So it’ll take some time for every roof in the city to change, but Atlanta is also rapidly growing with new construction. “It’s going to be kind of a gradual, ongoing, but ideally a permanent response to rising temperatures,” said Brian Stone, director of the Urban Climate Lab at Georgia Tech. “This is pushing Atlanta into one of the more forward-looking cities.”

The Smart Surfaces Coalition — a nonprofit that works with cities to enact cool roof ordinances — estimates that Atlanta’s new building code will cool the city overall by 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit during peak summer temperatures, and by as much as 6.3 degrees in the city’s hottest neighborhoods. It further calculates that over a 35-year period, the ordinance will result in $310 million in energy savings, due to residents having to run their air conditioners less. “It’s a super cost-effective way to make the city healthier, more competitive, cut energy bills, and protect jobs,” said Greg Kats, founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition.

A cool roof is a passive technology that keeps working on its own. For the flat roof of a commercial building, a simple coat of white paint will do. Manufacturers also make special cool roof shingles that reflect more sunlight. Whatever the strategy, cool roofs are no more expensive to install than traditional ones, and can even be cheaper. They also extend the life of a roof because there’s less wear and tear of the material expanding in the heat, then contracting when it cools down. 

Like any other city, Atlanta is struggling with the urban heat island effect: As a summer day wears on, the built environment of asphalt, brick, and concrete absorbs more of the sun’s warmth. This raises temperatures perhaps 20 degrees Fahrenheit above the surrounding countryside, where there’s more vegetation releasing water vapor to cool the air. At night, that stored heat slowly releases from a city, keeping temperatures abnormally high into the morning. 

The urban heat island effect gets especially bad in lower-income neighborhoods, where there’s typically less tree cover than in richer areas. “These folks are getting the triple whammy,” said Mark Conway, a council member who sponsored Baltimore’s cool roof ordinance. “Not only is it hotter in those areas of the city, but then also, they don’t have the trees and the shade to help them, nor can they pay for the AC.” 

The urban heat island effect gets extra dangerous during heat waves that stretch several days, because human bodies can’t get a break from relentlessly high temperatures. The stress builds and builds, in particular imperiling those with asthma and heart conditions, as the body tries to pump more blood to cool itself off. Infants and the elderly are also at higher risk because their bodies don’t cool as efficiently as other people. Accordingly, extreme heat kills twice as many people in the United States each year as hurricanes and tornadoes combined.

While getting more air conditioners into more homes will help save lives as cities get hotter, it’s not a cure-all. For one, the units use a lot of energy, and Atlanta’s residents already deal with some of the highest energy burdens in the country, meaning a significant proportion of their income goes to electric bills. Two, air conditioners actually make urban heat worse: They work by extracting heat from indoor air and pumping it outside — that’s why you feel a blast of hot air if you walk by one of them. And if the grid goes down because too many people are running their AC and other appliances at once, everyone’s now at much higher risk. “When a house loses power, if its only intervention to stay cool is air conditioning, it’s very likely that people inside of that home are going to quickly overheat,” said Grace Wickerson, senior manager of climate and health at the Federation of American Scientists, a nonprofit think tank.

At the same time, American cities are complementing cool roofs with more trees — Cleveland, for example, has set a goal of getting all its residents within a 10-minute walk of a green space by 2045. Trees provide shade and also release cooling water vapor, like rural vegetation does. Parks and gardens also soak up rainwater, preventing flooding. “There’s just a long litany of good reasons to plant as many trees as possible, and cool roofs don’t take away from that,” Metzger said. “They work together to overall cool the city.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Atlanta is embracing a cheap, effective way to beat urban heat: ‘cool roofs’ on Jul 7, 2025.

Ideally, you’d have weeks or days to prepare for an extreme weather. But the reality is, especially with floods, wildfires, and tornadoes, things change quickly. That’s why it’s critical to plan in advance to know where you will get reliable information, prepare an evacuation plan, and have all the materials that you may need if you lose power, your home is damaged, or you’re waiting for help.

Here’s a toolkit to help you get started.

Jump to:

↓ Where to find accurate information
↓ How to pack an emergency kit
↓ Power outage safety
↓ Planning an evacuation route
↓ Protecting and preparing your home

Where to find accurate information

Many people find out about disasters in their area via social media. But it’s important to make sure the information you’re receiving is correct. Below is a list of reliable sources to check for emergency alerts, updates, and more.

Your local emergency manager: Your city or county has an emergency management department, which is part of the local government. Emergency managers are responsible for communicating with the public about disasters, managing rescue and response efforts, and coordinating between different agencies. They usually have an SMS-based emergency alert system, so sign up for those texts now. (Note: Some cities have multiple languages available, but most emergency alerts are only in English.) Many emergency management agencies are active on Facebook, so check there for updates as well.

If you’re having trouble finding your local department, you can search for your state or territory. We also suggest typing your city or county name followed by “emergency management” into Google. In larger cities, it’s often a separate agency; in smaller communities, fire chiefs or sheriff’s offices may manage emergency response and alerts.

National Weather Service: This agency, called NWS, is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and offers information and updates on everything from wildfires to hurricanes to air quality. You can enter your zip code on weather.gov and customize your homepage to get the most updated weather information and receive alerts for a variety of weather conditions. The NWS also has regional and local branches where you can sign up for SMS alerts. Local alerts in multiple languages are available in some areas.

If you’re in a rural area or somewhere that isn’t highlighted on the agency’s maps, keep an eye out for local alerts and evacuation orders. NWS may not have as much information ahead of time in these areas because there often aren’t as many weather monitoring stations.

Watch vs. warning: You’ll often see meteorologists refer to storm or fire watches or warnings. If there is a “watch,” that means the conditions are ripe for extreme weather. A wildfire watch means “critical fire weather conditions are possible but not imminent or occurring,” according to NOAA. A warning, however, means the threat is more imminent and you should be prepared to take shelter or evacuate if told to. For instance, a wildfire warning is set when fire conditions are “ongoing or expected to occur shortly.”

You can track extreme weather via these websites:

• The National Interagency Fire Center tracks wildfires around the country.
• This ArcGIS fire tracker uses government data to pinpoint fire activity across the country.
• The National Hurricane Center tracks hurricanes in the Central Pacific, Eastern Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans.
• The National Weather Service active alerts page monitors severe weather by state, region, and type.

Local news: The local television news and social media accounts from verified news sources will have live updates during and after a storm. Meteorologists on your local news station use NWS weather data. Follow your local newspaper and television station on Facebook or other social media, or check their websites regularly. If you don’t have cable, these stations often livestream online for free during severe weather.

Weather stations and apps: The Weather Channel, Accuweather, Apple Weather, and Google, which all rely on NWS weather data, will have information on major storms. That may not be the case for smaller-scale weather events, and you shouldn’t rely on these apps to tell you if you need to evacuate or move to higher ground. Instead, check your local news broadcast on television or radio, or check NWS.

Read more: What disasters are and how they’re officially declared

How to pack an emergency kit

As you prepare for a disaster, it’s important to have an emergency kit ready in case you lose power or need to leave your home. Review this checklist from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for what to pack so you can stay safe, hydrated, and healthy. (FEMA has these resources available in multiple languages here.)

These can often be expensive to create, so contact your local disaster aid organizations, houses of worship, or charities to see if there are free or affordable kits available — or buy one or two items every time you’re at the grocery store. Ideally, this will be packed well in advance of hurricane or fire season, so gather as much as you can ahead of time in case shelves are empty when a storm is on the way.

FEMA has activities for kids to make this process more fun; the ASPCA also has useful guidelines for people with pets.

Here are some of the most important things to have in your kit:

• A list of phone numbers for your city or county emergency services, police departments, local hospitals, and health departments
• Water (one gallon per person per day for several days)
• Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food) and a can opener
• Medicines and documentation of your medical needs
• Identification and proof of residency documents (see a more detailed list below)
• A flashlight
• A battery-powered or hand crank radio
• Backup batteries
• Blanket(s) and sleeping bags
• Change of clothes and closed-toed shoes
• First aid kit (The Red Cross has a list of what to include)
• N-95 masks, hand sanitizer, and trash bags
• Wrench or pliers
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
• If you have babies or children: diapers, wipes, and food or formula
• If you have pets: food, collar, leash, and any medicines needed

Wirecutter, Wired, Popular Mechanics, and some other news outlets have “best of” lists for many of these items, where you can find different price points and features. You can also find reviews on Consumer Reports.

Don’t forget: Documents

One of the most important things to have in your emergency kit is documents you may need to prove your residence, demonstrate extent of damage, and to vote. FEMA often requires you to provide these documents in order to receive financial assistance after a disaster. Keep these items in a water- and fire-proof folder or container. You can find more details about why you may need these documents here.

• Government-issued ID, such as a drivers’ license, for each member of your household
• Proof of citizenship or legal residency for each member of your household (passport, green card, etc.)
• Social Security card for each member of your household
• Documentation of your medical needs, including medications or special equipment (oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, etc.)
• Health insurance card
• Car title and registration documents
• Pre-disaster photos of the inside and outside of your house and belongings
• For homeowners: copies of your deed, mortgage information, and home insurance policy, if applicable
• For homeowners: copies of your deed, mortgage information, and flood insurance policy, if applicable
• For renters: a copy of your lease and renters insurance policy
• Financial documents such as a checkbook or voided check

Planning for people with disabilities

Disabled people have a right to all disaster alerts in a format that is accessible. The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, a disability-led nonprofit focused on disasters, has a list of these rights. The organization also runs a hotline for any questions: (800) 626-4959 or hotline@disasterstrategies.org.

FEMA has a list of specific planning steps for people with disabilities. Some of these recommendations include:

• Contact your local emergency management office to ask about voluntary registries for people with disabilities to self-identify so they can access targeted assistance during emergencies and disasters.
• If you use medical equipment that requires electricity, ask your health care provider about what you may be able to do to keep it running during a power outage.
• Wear medical alert tags or bracelets. Also add pertinent medical information to your electronic devices.
• In your emergency kit, have your prescription information and medicines, as well as contact information for people who can help care for you or answer questions.

Power outage safety

You may experience a power outage before or during a disaster. Here are some ways to stay safe:

• Your utility company may alert you of changes, so sign up for texts, emails, or calls from them.
• If your power does go out, keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible and eat perishable food first. Get some coolers with ice if possible, and if you’re in doubt about any food, throw it out.
• Unplug appliances and electronics you don’t need, and use flashlights instead of candles to reduce the risk of fire.
• Do not use a gas stove to heat your home and do not use outdoor stoves inside. If you have a generator, keep it outside in a well ventilated area away from windows. The Red Cross has more generator safety tips.

Read more: How to access food before, during, and after a disaster

Planning an evacuation route

It is important to have a plan in case there’s an evacuation order in your area, or if you decide you want to evacuate on your own. FEMA has a list of key things to know when making an evacuation plan.

• Choose several places you could go in an emergency — maybe a friend or family member’s house in another city, or a hotel. Choose destinations in different directions so you have options. If you have pets, make sure the place you choose allows them, as shelters usually only allow service animals.
• Make sure you know several routes and other means of transportation out of your area, in case roads are closed.
• Keep a full tank of gas in your car if you know a disaster may be coming, and keep your emergency kit in your car or in an easily accessible place.
• Come up with a plan to stay in touch with members of your household in case you are separated. Check with your neighbors as well.
• Unplug electrical equipment, except for freezers and refrigerators, before you evacuate. If there’s already damage to your home in any way, shut off water, gas, and electricity.

Always heed the advice of local officials when it comes to evacuations. Your state or county may have specific routes and plans in case there are mandatory evacuations. For instance, Florida’s emergency management division has designated zones and routes across the state for hurricane evacuations. Los Angeles County has resources for different evacuation scenarios in case of wildfire.

Protecting and preparing your home

It’s impossible to know what might happen to your home during a disaster, but there are many best practices to keep your belongings and property as safe as possible.

The list below contains tips from several sources, including FEMA and the National Fire Protection Association, for protecting your home from wildfire.

• Equip an outdoor water source with a hose that can reach any area of your property.
• Create a fire-resistant zone that is free of leaves, debris, or flammable materials for at least 30 feet from your home.
• Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris, and pine needles.
• Clean debris from exterior attic vents and install ⅛-inch metal mesh screening to block embers.
• Move any flammable material, including mulch, flammable plants, leaves, pine needles, and firewood piles, away from walls. Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.
• Designate a room that can be closed off from outside air. Close all doors and windows. Set up a portable air cleaner to keep indoor pollution levels low when smoky conditions exist.
• Use fire-resistant materials to build, renovate, or make repairs.

Below is a list of ways to protect your home from water and wind damage, gathered from the National Flood Insurance Program and local government sources.

• Move your most valued belongings to a high, safe place, such as an attic.
• Clear your gutters and downspouts when you know a big rain is coming, and make sure they’re pointed downhill, away from your home.
• Clear storm drains and drainage ditches of debris.
• Elevate your utilities, including electrical panels, propane tanks, sockets, wiring, appliances, and heating systems, if possible, and anchor them in place.
• Get a sump pump if you are a homeowner. A working sump pump and a water alarm can minimize flood damage in your basement. Install a battery-operated backup pump in case the power goes out.
• Get a sump pump if you are a homeowner. A working sump pump and a water alarm can minimize flood damage in your basement. Install a battery-operated backup pump in case the power goes out.
• Seal any cracks in your foundation with mortar, caulk, or hydraulic cement.
• Secure outdoor items so they don’t blow or wash away.
• If you’re in a hurricane-prone area, install storm shutters. There are many products for every budget; some are temporary and some are permanent.
• Secure loose roof shingles, which can create a domino effect if wind starts to take them off.

The list below contains tips from several sources, including FEMA and the U.S. Energy Department, on protecting your home from frigid temperatures.

• Clear debris and tree limbs, especially those hanging over your gutters or roof in case ice, wind, or snow knocks them down.
• Protect your pipes from cracking by detaching garden hoses before freezing weather begins. Leave your faucet dripping and open the cabinet doors under your sinks.
• Protect your pipes from cracking by detaching garden hoses before freezing weather begins. Leave your faucet dripping and open the cabinet doors under your sinks.
• Evaluate the insulation in your home. If you’re a renter and can’t do much to your space, there are affordable options like sealing gaps around windows with plastic or weather stripping, getting heavy curtains, and installing door sweeps or putting towels along the bottom of doors. If you’re a homeowner, you can do more permanent things like insulating floors, ducts, and attics, or caulking around windows and doors.

The list below contains tips from several sources, including FEMA and the American Lung Association, on protecting your home during heat waves.

• An affordable way to block sunlight from your windows is with blackout curtains or blinds. If you can install awnings or shutters, that can also help.
• If you’re a homeowner, you can invest in more energy-efficient appliances or install cool roofing.
• Don’t use heat-producing appliances on hot days. Dry your clothes outside instead of in the dryer, and microwave food to reduce oven use.
• Make sure your air filters are changed every six months, or even more frequently, to ensure your air conditioning works properly.
• Get some desk fans and box fans to circulate air.

Read more: How disaster response and recovery work

 

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This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How to prepare for a disaster on Jul 7, 2025.

Having enough food and water on hand when a disaster strikes is critical, but it’s not all there is to preparing for an emergency. It’s important to know where to go for free fresh or hot food, clean water, and other essentials once it’s safe to venture from wherever you may be sheltering, and knowing the food programs you may qualify for locally and federally that could help you afford food in the weeks and months after a disaster.

We’ve compiled a guide to food safety and access based on recommendations from physicians, health departments, emergency management departments, and federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.

Jump to:

↓ Preparing food supplies at home
↓ Accessing food
↓ How to navigate food distribution if you’re not a U.S. citizen
↓ What to know about hunger and disasters

Preparing your food supplies at home

As you prepare for an extreme weather event, it’s important to have enough food ready and easily transportable in case you lose power or need to evacuate. Review this checklist from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for what to pack so you can stay safe, hydrated, and healthy.

Read more: How to pack an emergency kit and prepare your home

State and county emergency-management departments offer varying guidelines on how to best prepare food supplies for a disaster. For instance, some counties in Florida suggest residents stock up enough food to last them at least two weeks in case of an emergency, while some in Massachusetts suggest a minimum of three days.

It’s becoming increasingly expensive to buy everything for an emergency stockpile all at once. A more affordable strategy is to pick up one or two items every time you go to the grocery store, well in advance of hurricane or wildfire season, and build up your emergency food stockpile over time. You can also contact your local disaster aid organizations, houses of worship, or charities to see if there are free or affordable nonperishable goods available.

Some of the most important things to have:

• Water (at least one gallon per person and pet in the household per day for several days)
• Food (at least a three day supply of nonperishable food for every person and pet in a household)
• Common kitchen tools like scissors, a knife, a can opener, and a cooking thermometer

Here are some food-safety tips during and after a disaster:

• If you plan to take shelter away from home, it’s always best to prepare for the likelihood that the power will go out, spoiling refrigerated and frozen food. Be wary about eating food that may have gone bad, and when in doubt, throw it out.
• Buy food with the lowest safety risks. This includes canned food with high liquid content and with limited salt, as salty foods will make you thirsty.

If the power goes out and you’re home, take the following steps to ensure your food will remain safe to eat:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An unopened refrigerator can maintain its temperature for only roughly four hours, while a freezer can stay cold for approximately 48 hours.
• Pack refrigerated and freezer items tightly together to help retain cold temperatures for longer. (This should not be done with ready-to-eat foods or anything raw, such as poultry or fish.)
• Freeze containers of water to use for ice and potentially drinking water.
• If the power outage lasts for more than two hours, or if the refrigerator or freezer temperature rises above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the FDA recommends that you discard any perishable food. Your appliance may tell you the temperature inside. If it doesn’t have that feature, keep an appliance thermometer handy. You can also use a bulb or candy thermometer by placing it directly into a container of food or liquid that has been in the refrigerator or freezer for 24 hours.

If there is flooding, avoid eating any food that may have come into contact with floodwater, and get rid of any foods or beverages that are not in a waterproof container or have damaged packaging. If food is not damaged or wet, follow these in-depth instructions from the FDA to make sure it’s safe to eat.

Storing food properly can help give it a longer shelf life and protect it from water damage. Here are some tips:

• Store items in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• Place your food supply on high shelves to keep them far from any household flooding.
• If possible, swap foods in paper boxes or cartons into airtight or waterproof containers to keep out pests. 
• Be sure to verify expiration dates on canned and dry goods.
• Store all fresh food away from ranges or refrigerator exhausts. Heat causes many foods to spoil faster.

Accessing food during and after a disaster Where to find community-led resources on food access

Local nonprofits, food banks, food and agricultural hubs, houses of worship, and schools are all crucial frontline resources in the aftermath of a disaster, providing food and water for people regardless of socioeconomic or immigration status. Before a storm or wildfire hits your area, you can look up where organizations such as these may be in your community. During a disaster, they may offer hot meals and fresh produce, as well as nonperishables.

Recent federal funding cuts have left food banks and charitable food organizations across the country without as much money for direct food assistance, so check with your local food bank to make sure they are running these programs.

Most cities and counties will have a list of sites that are supplying food and water. You can call or check their websites. Also check your local news — either radio, online, or on television — for options.

National and international charitable organizations often deploy on-the-ground teams to distribute free food to areas hit by major disaster events. Typically these groups prioritize places where the scope of damage and population impact is significant. This list of organizations is by no means exhaustive:

• World Central Kitchen
• American Red Cross
• Feeding America
• The Salvation Army
• Team Rubicon
• Americares
• United Way
• Catholic Charities

Your state and county emergency-management departments, government-operated emergency shelters, as well as your city, tribe, or territory, is likely to partner with the school district, food banks, first responders, and federal agencies to set up ad hoc food and water distribution centers in the immediate days following a disaster event. Each entity’s official website and social media pages are great resources for up-to-date information on these efforts.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers also tend to serve as a source of food and water after a storm or other disaster.

Read more: How FEMA aid works

Applying for longer-term food relief programs

Depending on your legal status, total household income, and whether your household includes children under 5 years old or a pregnant or breastfeeding mother, you could be eligible for government benefits that include financial assistance for food. Keep in mind that these programs require a lengthy application process, and often have a waiting list long before a disaster strikes. Some of them are also being cut or changed by the Trump administration, so contact the local or state office to find out more.

SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides food assistance to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets for foods to prepare at home. In the event of a disaster, you may be able to buy hot or premade food using SNAP dollars. This is not intended for immediate relief, as it could take time to apply and begin receiving any benefits. To apply, you must first contact your local or state SNAP office. Applications are handled differently depending on the state in which you live; some can be submitted online, while others need to be done in person or by mail.

The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or D-SNAP, also known as disaster food stamps, helps you pay for food if you live in a county with a federal disaster declaration. D-SNAP provides funds on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to pay for food. Even if you do not normally receive or qualify for food assistance through SNAP benefits, you may qualify if you live in a county that has received a federal disaster declaration. This benefit usually amounts to at least a month of the maximum SNAP allotment for low-income households. This is not immediate relief, as it could take time to apply and receive the benefits.

If you’re a SNAP recipient, get benefits that are less than the monthly maximum, and have losses from the disaster, you can request a supplement under D-SNAP. Existing SNAP recipients may also request replacement benefits for food that was bought with SNAP dollars and lost in the disaster.

Be on the lookout for more information about this program through your local news, community organizations, or local SNAP office.

WIC: The Women, Infants, and Children program offers food assistance, information, and health care referrals to low-income families with children under age 5 or those expecting a new child. You can be eligible for WIC with any immigration status. To apply, you will need to contact  your local WIC office to schedule an appointment, where your eligibility will be determined.

TEFAP: The Emergency Food Assistance Program helps supplement the diets of lower-income people by providing emergency food assistance at no cost. TEFAP is distinct from SNAP as it provides actual food, not money, to those in need, distributed through local food banks and pantries. When the president makes a major disaster declaration, affected states are given the opportunity to reallocate and distribute existing TEFAP food and funding inventories to disaster relief organizations. You cannot apply directly for TEFAP foods, but may be able to get TEFAP foods to take home from a local soup kitchen or food pantry based on your income level. 

How to navigate food distribution if you’re not a U.S. citizen

Most of the above federal nutrition programs are not accessible to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or what the government deems a “qualified immigrant.” Though undocumented immigrants have long been largely ineligible for federal public benefits, there have been some exceptions for emergency and disaster-related services. Lawful permanent residents and qualified immigrants, such as H-2A workers, used to face a five-year or longer waiting period for programs like SNAP, but immigration and anti-hunger advocates suggest that period may be lengthier under the new administration — and the opportunity for noncitizen eligibility for food benefits may even cease to exist. If you have a U.S.-born child, they can qualify for these benefits, though it may not be enough to feed the entire family.

Please note that anyone visiting food centers or shelters may be asked to provide proof of identification. Because of stricter immigration policies enforced under the Trump administration, there is concern among immigration advocates, lawyers, and other experts that undocumented residents, those on a visa, or even legal citizens could be detained by law enforcement or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Connect with your local immigration organizations or legal aid groups for more specific information, advice, and updates.

Read more: Know your rights as an immigrant before, during, and after disasters

What to know about deepening hunger and disasters

As Kassandra Martinchek, who researches food access at the Urban Institute, told Grist in 2024, the immediate emergency food response provided by charitable providers and by federal nutrition programs “is an important part of the broader patchwork of programs that help families post-disaster.” But food insecurity “is really this household economic condition wherein families aren’t able to get the food they need to live a healthy and active life.” Disasters intensify that crisis.

Poverty rates tend to climb in impacted areas because many people, particularly those from low-income households, are less able to prepare for a looming storm or recover from the emotional and physical damage they wreak. This deepens existing racial and socioeconomic divides and exacerbates the food insecurity most commonly experienced by communities of color, those with disabilities, and households below the federal poverty line.

Research shows that food tends to be among the first expenditures financially unstable households cut during economic turbulence. Not only do they buy less food, but the quality of the food they buy decreases as well.

If you or someone you know is struggling with hunger or food insecurity at any time, reach out to churches or other houses of worship, charities, food banks, health care providers (some have food programs they can direct you to), including any of the organizations mentioned above.

Read more: Our long-term recovery guide outlines resources you can use in the weeks and months after a disaster

 

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This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How to access food before, during, and after a disaster on Jul 7, 2025.

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Hurricane Helene made landfall, causing extensive damage and flooding from northwest Florida to inland areas of Tennessee and North Carolina. Then Hurricane Milton hit central Florida a couple of weeks later. Polling sites across the region had to be moved at the last minute, and misinformation around voting in the affected areas swelled online.

Surviving a severe storm, wildfire, or other extreme weather event is an experience that many Americans have had, or will have in the future, as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. According to 2024 polling from the Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 Americans said their community experienced an extreme weather event in the past 12 months, including flooding, drought, extreme heat, rising sea levels, or major wildfires.

The aftermath of a disaster can be terrifying and traumatic, and many survivors struggle to secure basic necessities such as food and shelter, or to fill out paperwork for disaster aid and insurance. Finding accurate information about where and how to vote is even harder — so hard, in fact, that many people who have experienced disasters don’t bother to vote at all. With experts forecasting active hurricane and wildfire seasons, it’s more important than ever to be prepared for disruptions to the voting process for any primaries and special elections, as well as Election Day in November.

The guide below aims to help you navigate early and absentee voting, as well as what to expect on Election Day, should a disaster affect your area. (If you’re not registered to vote, find your state’s voter registration rules below.)

Jump to:

↓ Registration information
↓ In-person voting
↓ Early voting
↓ Absentee ballots
↓ Voter ID laws
↓ Know your rights

Registration information

Register to vote or find out if you’re registered here. Since it’s hurricane season, we’ve included registration links and upcoming election information for coastal states below:

Florida: Register to vote or check your registration here. Stay updated on Florida election dates here.

Alabama: Register to vote here. Stay updated on Florida election dates here.

Mississippi: Mississippi does not have online registration, so find out how to do so in person or online here. The deadline to register is 30 days before election day. Stay updated on Mississippi election dates here.

North Carolina: The deadline for voter registration is 25 days before Election Day; register or check your status here. Stay updated on North Carolina election dates here.

South Carolina: Learn how to register here. Stay updated on South Carolina election dates here.

Louisiana: Online registration must be done 20 days before Election Day; mail must be postmarked 30 days prior. Stay updated on Louisiana election dates here.

Georgia: Register online here. Stay updated on Georgia election dates here.

Texas: You must register to vote 30 days before Election Day; find out your status or register here. Stay updated on Texas election dates here.

Read more: How a disaster is officially declared

In-person voting

If a disaster strikes, the governor can extend voting deadlines, allow ballots to be forwarded to a new address, allow local officials to change or add new polling places, or postpone municipal elections. Those rules are different depending on the state, and information may be hard to find in the wake of a disaster.

The U.S. Vote Foundation has a tool to access your county election office’s contact information, which typically includes county clerks, supervisors, auditors, boards of elections, or election commissions, depending on the state. You can try to contact these offices, but it’s not guaranteed they’ll be able to answer your questions. You can also ask voting rights groups in your area and watch local news for any changes or updates.

In the wake of a disaster, first confirm where you should be voting. Has your polling place been damaged or moved? If multiple locations are combined into one, or Election Day volunteers are scarce post-disaster, be prepared to stand in long lines to vote. If you’re waiting in the heat, make sure to bring water and wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing. (Twenty-one states prohibit campaign apparel, so keep that in mind.) Here are some other resources on heat waves.

Was your car damaged in a disaster? Need a ride to the polls? Some ride-share services and public transit systems offer free rides on Election Day. Here’s more information.

Read more: The officials and agencies in charge of disaster response

Early voting

Most states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands offer some form of early voting, which is voting in person before the election anywhere from a few days to more than a month early, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. However, the hours, locations, and timing differ for each. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire — do not allow early in-person voting.

Early in-person voting is a useful option if you’d like to avoid lines on Election Day or will be out of town. It’s also an option for people who live in a region of the country prone to natural disasters or have been recently hit by one. In-person voting on Election Day, which comes at the tail end of “danger season,” may not either be a possibility or priority. Go here to see the specific rules around early voting in your state.

Absentee ballots

Absentee voting is often called “mail-in voting” or “by-mail voting.” Every state offers this, but some require you to meet certain conditions, like having a valid excuse for why you can’t make it to the polls on Election Day. Absentee voting can be a particularly useful tool for people recently displaced by extreme weather, or are at risk of being displaced. It also safeguards voters who live in the hottest parts of the country, where heat can make waiting in long lines dangerous.

The League of Women Voters explains absentee voting rules by state here. If you reside in a county that gets a federal disaster declaration after a disaster hits, there may be changes to these processes that can offer you more time and flexibility.

Voter ID laws

Each state has a different voter ID law: Some require photo identification, others require a document such as a utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck, while still others require a signature. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a breakdown of the rules here.

If your ID gets destroyed in a flood, fire, or tornado, your state may be able to exempt you from showing an ID at the polls. For instance, after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Texas residents who lost their ID to floodwaters could vote without one once they filled out an affidavit stating that their identification was lost because of a natural disaster. Your state may also waive the fees associated with getting a new ID.

The best way to find this information is to contact your county clerk or other election official, or contact a voting rights group in your area.

Know your rights

Just as there are strict rules in states around how people can cast ballots, there are also many others that dictate what happens outside of polling places. In most states, you can accept water and food from groups around polling places — but there is misinformation around doing so. For example, after the 2020 presidential election, Georgia passed a law prohibiting this activity within a certain buffer zone, only for a judge to later strike down part of it. So while there is no longer a ban on handing things to voters within 25 feet of the line to vote, it is still illegal to do so within 150 feet of the building where ballots are being cast.

Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to report voter intimidation to the Election Protection Coalition. You can also find more information on voter rights from the ACLU.

 

Download a PDF of this article | Return to Disaster 101

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Know your voting rights before, during, and after a disaster on Jul 7, 2025.

There is so much to think about in the hours, days, and weeks after a disaster. Whether you’re seeking shelter, wondering how to clean up safely, or looking for financial help, there are an overwhelming number of requirements, agencies, and laws to navigate. We’ve got some tips and tricks to help you through it.

This tool kit is meant to help you understand how federal, state, and local disaster response works during and after a disaster — and what your rights and responsibilities are at a stressful and confusing time.

Jump to:

↓ Finding accurate information
↓ Emergency response agencies and officials
↓ How FEMA works
↓ Staying safe and finding shelter
↓ Applying for FEMA assistance
↓ Documenting damage
↓ Cleaning your home

Finding accurate information

During and after a disaster, you may lose internet and cell service for an extended period of time. Here are a few tips to staying connected and informed:

• Check your local library. Libraries often have power when other city buildings do not, and they offer free Wi-Fi and computers.
• Listen to the radio. Your local NPR station or your talk radio station will provide updated information. You can tune in from your car or use a hand crank radio. NOAA weather stations broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week, though accessing it requires a NOAA weather radio or a radio with NOAA weather station features.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts. Local officials are the best source of information. Your city or county has an emergency management department. In larger cities, it’s often a separate agency; in smaller communities, the fire department or county sheriff’s office may manage emergency response and alerts. If you’re having trouble finding your local department, search for your state or territory here; we also suggest typing your city or county name and “emergency management” or “emergency alerts” into Google for a quick find.

When you do find cell service or internet access:

• Read your local news sources. Check the library or other community hubs if you don’t have a subscription and hit a paywall.
• Check the American Red Cross for shelters and services.
• Check your county or city website for updates.
• Download the FEMA app on Google Play or the Apple App Store to get alerts, find emergency shelters, and more. You can also download the app by texting ANDROID or APPLE (per the type of device that you have) to 43362 (4FEMA).

Legal resources:

Disclaimer: We are not offering legal advice; this is only to offer contact information for organizations that can offer legal resources and services.

We encourage you to find legal aid societies and lawyers in your state, city, or region. You can often access free or pro-bono legal services through disaster relief organizations, houses of worship, local nonprofits, or by asking leaders at supply distribution sites after a disaster. Your local news will likely be sharing this information, as well.

Emergency Legal Responders provides free, accessible, and easily understandable information and services. They have a website with a host of resources on everything from bankruptcy to fraud to how legal needs often play out after a disaster. Find them on Instagram.

Mutual aid:

Mutual aid is a voluntary, collaborative exchange of resources, money, and services among community members. These groups are often local or regional, and they are more nimble and quick to respond in emergency situations because of their decentralized nature. Depending on how much funding comes in after a disaster, mutual aid groups can directly send money to those in need, purchase supplies, set up distribution sites, and more. Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, a grassroots disaster relief network, has a list of mutual aid groups it works with, and there are many more popping up all the time. Mutual aid groups often offer resources and updates as well and share via social media; make sure you fact check any information you see to confirm it’s correct.

Emergency response agencies and officials

It can be hard to know who to trust when it comes to natural disasters. Where do official evacuation orders come from? Who do you call if you need to be rescued? Where can you get money to help pay for emergency housing or to rebuild your home or community?

Here’s a breakdown of the officials and agencies in charge of delivering aid before, during, and after a disaster:

Emergency management agencies: Almost all cities and counties have local emergency management departments. Sometimes it’s a standalone agency, but in smaller communities, the fire department or sheriff’s office may manage emergency response and alerts. These departments are responsible for communicating with the public, managing rescue and response efforts, and coordinating between other agencies. Many emergency management agencies, however, have small staffs and are under-resourced.

Much of the work that emergency managers do happens before a disaster: They develop response plans that lay out evacuation routes and communication procedures and they delegate responsibility to different agencies like the police, fire, and public health departments. Most counties and cities publish these plans online.

In most cases, they are the most trustworthy resource before and after a hurricane or other catastrophe. They’ll issue alerts and warnings, coordinate evacuations, and direct people to resources and shelter. You can find your state emergency management agency here. There isn’t a comprehensive list by county or city, but if you search your location online you’ll likely find a website, a page on the county or city website, or a Facebook page that posts updates. Some emergency management agencies automatically translate into Spanish or other languages — New York and Hawaiʻi mandate their own statewide emergency translation services — but not all.

Law enforcement: County sheriffs and city police departments play a key role during disasters. They often enforce evacuation orders, going door-to-door to ensure that people leave. They manage traffic during evacuations and help conduct search-and-rescue operations.

Law enforcement agencies may restrict access to affected areas after a flood or other disaster. In most states, city and county governments also have the power to set a curfew, and officers can enforce them with fines or even arrests.

Read more: Know your rights as an immigrant before, during, and after disasters.

Governor: Governors control several key aspects of disaster response in their states. They have the power to declare a state of emergency, which allows them to deploy rescue and repair workers, distribute financial assistance to local governments, and activate the National Guard. The governor plays a lead role in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, but a smaller one in distributing aid and assistance to individuals.

In almost every state, including all of the hurricane-prone states along the Gulf coast, the governor also has the power to announce evacuation orders. The penalty for ignoring them differs, but is usually a fine. (States seldom enforce these penalties.) The state government also decides whether to implement transportation procedures like contraflow, where all lanes of a highway flow in the same direction to facilitate evacuations.

FEMA: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is the federal government’s main disaster response organization, offering resources and funding for individuals, states, and local governments. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

HUD: The Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, spends billions of dollars to help communities recover after disasters, building new housing and other buildings such as schools — but this money takes much longer to arrive. Unlike FEMA, HUD must wait for Congress to approve its post-disaster work, and then it must dole out grants for specific projects. In some cases, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana or Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, it has taken years for projects to get off the ground.

States and local governments, not individual people, apply for money from HUD, but the agency can direct you to FEMA or housing counselors.

How FEMA works

FEMA is rarely the first resource on the ground after a disaster strikes. In order for the agency to send resources to a disaster area, the state’s governor must first request a disaster declaration from the president, and the president must approve it.

Read more: How a major disaster is declared

For large disasters such as Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, this typically happens quickly. For a smaller crisis, like severe rain or flooding, it can take weeks or even months for the president to grant a declaration and activate the agency. FEMA has historically not responded to heat waves because it does not consider them a type of disaster.

FEMA is divided into regional offices and offers specific contacts and information for each of them, and for tribal nations, which follow a different process. You can find your FEMA region here.

The agency has two primary roles after a federally declared disaster:

• Contributing to community rebuilding costs: The agency helps states and local governments pay for the cost of removing debris and rebuilding public infrastructure. (Read more about FEMA’s responsibilities and programs here.)
• Individual financial assistance: FEMA awards financial assistance to individual people who have lost their homes and belongings. It can take several forms: FEMA gives out pre-loaded debit cards to help people buy food and fuel in the first days after a disaster, and may also provide cash payments for home repairs. The agency also provides up to 18 months of housing assistance for people who lose their homes, and sometimes houses disaster survivors in trailers. FEMA sometimes covers funeral costs as well as medical and dental treatment.

FEMA also runs other programs, including the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides insurance via dozens of companies it works with, and enforces floodplain management regulations. The agency recommends that everyone who lives in a flood zone purchase this coverage — and most mortgage lenders require it if you live in a flood zone — though many homes beyond these areas are also vulnerable. You must begin paying for flood insurance at least 30 days before a disaster to be eligible for a payout. You can check if your home is in a flood zone by using this FEMA website.

Visiting a FEMA recovery center

FEMA disaster recovery centers provide information about the agency’s programs as well as other state and local resources. It will open these centers in impacted areas in the days and weeks following a federally declared disaster. FEMA representatives can help navigate the aid application process or direct you to nonprofits, shelters, or state and local resources. Go to this website to locate one in your area, or text DRC and a ZIP Code to 43362.

Finding shelter and staying safe

If an emergency forces you from your home, there are several ways to find a shelter.

• The American Red Cross operates overnight shelters and disaster relief centers where you can get health services, do laundry, get toiletries and other necessary supplies, and rest. Pets are usually welcome, and entry is free. Locate them here.
• Text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362 to find a FEMA shelter.
• Call 211 to find more information about emergency housing, shelters, or assistance paying for housing.
• Most cities and counties will have a list of shelters available. Check your local .gov website, or your local news site, for options. You can also check with local community organizations you know and trust.

For people with disabilities:

• You have a right to meals and snacks that meet your dietary and medical needs, your service animal, a physically accessible shelter, and sign language interpreters, Braille, large print, or other formats you may need to access information. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health created a tool called Show Me that can be downloaded as an app or printed out. It’s a visual guide to emergency shelters that cana be used by residents who have cognitive disabilities, are deaf or hard of hearing, have limited English proficiency, or may struggle to communicate during an emergency.
• Call 211 to get your questions answered (you can remain anonymous) or find your local 211 through the United Way.
• The National Disability Rights Network has Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and Client Assistance Programs (CAP) in every state U.S. territory as well as one serving the Native American population in the four corners region. They can help you advocate for yourself. You can find the closest one to you here.

The most important thing to consider during a disaster is safety — for you, your family, and your community. You may experience a power outage before or during a disaster. Here are some ways to prepare and stay safe:

• Your utility company may alert you of changes, so sign up for texts or calls from them.
• If your power does go out, keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible and eat perishable food first. Get some coolers with ice if possible, and if you’re in doubt about any food, throw it out.
• Unplug appliances and electronics, and use flashlights instead of candles to reduce the risk of fire.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after a storm that knocks out power. Do not use a gas stove to heat your home and do not use barbecues, grills, or other outdoor cooking equipment inside, because they can generate carbon monoxide. If you have a generator, keep it outside in a well ventilated area away from windows. The Red Cross has more generator safety tips.

Read more: How to access food before, during, and after a disaster

Signs and symptoms of illnesses

Heat stroke and exhaustion: Symptoms include muscle cramping, unusually heavy sweating, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue or weakness. Learn more here from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how to spot these signs and protect yourself.

Carbon monoxide poisoning: It can take just minutes to get carbon monoxide poisoning. Be on the lookout for nausea, a mild headache, and shortness of breath. More severe cases can cause confusion, chest pain, dizziness, severe headaches, and loss of coordination. The Mayo Clinic has more information on what to look out for, and FEMA has information on how to prevent carbon monoxide leaks.

Tetanus: This is an infection caused by bacteria. It’s rare, but can be more common after disasters because it’s more likely people come into contact with rusty nails, needles, or contaminated dirt. The most common symptom, which can occur anywhere from three to 21 days after exposure, is lockjaw. Tetanus is easily prevented with a vaccine. Read more here from the CDC.

Respiratory issues from poor air quality: If you can see haze and smell smoke, the air quality is poor and you should limit your outdoor activities. Soot and smoke from fires contain particulate matter, or PM. Signs of irritation include persistent coughing, phlegm, wheezing, and difficulty breathing, as well as asthma attacks or elevated heart rates. Children, the elderly, and people with heart or lung disease are most at risk.

Read more: How to protect your health if a disaster strikes your community

Applying for FEMA assistance

There is a specific process cities, states, and tribal governments must navigate in order for residents to receive FEMA aid. If you are a U.S. citizen, or meet certain qualifications as a non-citizen, and live in a disaster declaration area that was approved by FEMA and the president, you are eligible to apply for aid immediately after they announce it. You can apply on disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or at a FEMA recovery center. FEMA offers survivors eligible for individual assistance:

• A one-time grant of $750 for emergency needs and essential items like food, baby items, and medication 
• Temporary housing assistance equivalent to 14 nights in a hotel in your area 
• Up to 18 months of rental assistance
• Payments for lost property that isn’t covered by your homeowners or renters insurance
• Other forms of assistance, depending on your needs and losses

First, you’ll need to gather your paperwork. You will need documents to verify everything from your identity to proof of residency and living expenses. FEMA has a list of documents you can submit to prove home ownership (like mortgage statements, property tax bills, a deed or title) or proof of residency if you don’t own your home (lease or housing agreement, bank or credit card statement, motor vehicle registration form, pay stub, credit card statements, utility bills). These documents should be dated within the past year. Your driver’s license, state-issued identification card, or voter registration card is valid only if it is current and was issued before the disaster happened.

• Hotel receipts, if you were forced to evacuate
• Receipts, serial numbers, and appraisals for valuable items, if you lose things like appliances, furnishing, and accessibility equipment. This may help you with both insurance claims and FEMA aid 
• If you are on a visa, green card, or other form of legal residency, make sure to have copies of all your immigration paperwork 
• Photos of your home before it was damaged or destroyed

The agency has some advice on how to replace lost documents here; you should apply for aid even if you don’t have all the necessary paperwork.

Second, prepare for an inspection. After you apply, FEMA must verify the damage through an onsite or remote inspection. FEMA employees and inspectors may call from an unknown or restricted phone number and make several attempts to discuss your disaster-caused damage — so be on the lookout for that. You’ll have to be present for the inspection, though you may be able to meet elsewhere if your home is inaccessible. You don’t have to wait for this inspection to begin cleaning up, but make sure you take photos before you do.

After disasters, inaccurate or misleading information can spread quickly. FEMA debunks some common myths here.

Some facts about FEMA’s aid process that are often misconstrued:

• Payments provided by FEMA are grants, not loans. You do not have to pay them back. 
• Keep all receipts for your expenses while displaced from your home, or repairs made to your home, as well as notes of calls with FEMA or other disaster aid officials or insurance companies.
• FEMA will require you to create an account on the secure website Login.gov. Use this account to submit your aid application. You can track the status of your aid application via the app or this website and receive notifications if FEMA needs more information from you.
• If FEMA denies your application for aid, you can appeal, but the process is lengthy.
• You can apply for individual assistance for multiple storms, but you can apply only once for each disaster.
• You can use GoFundMe or other crowdfunding platforms to get money faster. Donations are considered gifts, and will not be counted in your gross income, as long as you don’t promise donors anything in exchange. However, you can’t seek other sources of financial aid to cover any expenses included in your online campaign.

Applying for FEMA rental assistance

You must apply for individual disaster assistance to be considered for rental assistance. FEMA funds can be used for rent, including a security deposit, and utilities such as electricity and water, at a house, apartment, hotel, or recreational vehicle that is not your damaged home. Residents in counties with a federal disaster declaration are eligible to apply under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. The rate is set by an area’s Fair Market Rent; find yours here.

Here are some key things to know about FEMA rental assistance:

• If you were already approved for rental assistance, an application for continued rental assistance is normally mailed to you 15 days after the grant is approved. If you do not receive one, call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or visit a disaster recovery center.
• To receive continuing assistance, you must be able to demonstrate ongoing need and prove you are working toward securing permanent housing or making progress on repairs. A contractor’s estimate meets that requirement.
• Extensions on rental assistance may be granted for three-month periods up to a maximum of 18 months after the disaster.
• You may receive an automated phone call with a notification about ongoing assistance, so answer unknown numbers.
• If FEMA denies your application or you need more than the amount awarded, you can appeal. It must be submitted within 60 days of the date on the FEMA decision letter. The appeal process is often lengthy. Here’s more information.
• You’ll have to meet specific requirements for any FEMA aid you receive or reimbursements you plan to ask for. 

Finding help with applications

The FEMA application process can be confusing and lengthy. Important tips when applying for disaster assistance with FEMA can be found here (please note this was last updated after Hurricane Helene in 2024). There are almost always lawyers and legal organizations offering free help with applications in any disaster area.

Documenting damage

If and when it’s safe to return home, it’s critical that you photograph everything that was damaged and gather any documents you can salvage for insurance claims and government aid applications.

Before you begin:

• Turn off your electricity and gas (here’s how).
• Have a first aid kit handy.
• Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date (your state or county health department may offer free tetanus vaccines if you need one; it’s best to call them to find out).
• Look at the structural integrity of the building before entering, and do not go inside if it looks like there is any potential for something to collapse. Do not touch anything electrical if in doubt about the state it’s in. 
• Wear protective clothing: long sleeves and pants, goggles, leather, rubber or plastic gloves, closed-toed and/or sturdy boots or shoes, a respirator or N95 mask, and a Tyvek suit if you can find one. Check with your aid distribution sites for tools, personal protective equipment, and cleaning materials. 
• Do not attempt to drive or wade through floodwaters, which can sweep you away even if it doesn’t seem deep, and can be contaminated or contain dangerous debris. Do not touch any debris or materials that may be contaminated by toxic chemicals (you may need special equipment or PPE to handle burned or flooded debris). 

Take photos and videos

Whether you have insurance and are filing a claim, or you do not have flood insurance and you’re applying for federal assistance from FEMA, you’ll need a lot of evidence to prove the damage was caused by a disaster.

• Gather any photos of your house or apartment from before the crisis so you can more easily document your losses.
• Take photos of the outside and inside of your home or apartment, including damaged personal property, and label them by room before you remove anything.
• If you have insurance, take photos of the make, model, and serial number for appliances and anything else of value. Provide receipts to your adjuster to document damage for your claim.

Cleaning your home

After documenting damage, you can begin to clean up. Here’s information on how to navigate the process after a wildfire. Here is a booklet from the Environmental Protection Agency that is a helpful visual resource on doing the job after a flood.

Mucking and gutting

Mucking involves removing mud, silt, and other sediment. Gutting means moving damaged drywall, insulation, cabinets, floorboards, and paneling out of your home. (Here’s a helpful visual guide from Galveston County, Texas emergency management on this process.)

Some key things to keep in mind (Virginia’s Department of Health has more tips):

• Take wet items outside to dry.
• Open doors and windows to air out your home, and use fans if possible.
• Remove all mold you see (more on this below) and try to dry as much as possible.
• Discard anything that can’t be cleaned and dried within two days. Throw away perishables, clothing, cushions, and pillows. It can be difficult to throw away items with sentimental value — but anything soaked in floodwater or sewage poses a health risk.
• Keep samples of damaged carpet, upholstery, and wallpaper if you plan on filing an insurance claim. 

Mold

Here’s a fact sheet on mold risks and how to clean it up, from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The key is moisture control. You may not be able to see all of the mold developing in your home after flooding. According to FEMA, “everything that has been contaminated must be cleaned and dried. Items that cannot be properly cleaned and dried within 24-48 hours must be discarded, including building materials and personal property.” People with breathing problems like asthma or a weakened immune system should stay away.

You will likely see a lot of bleach at distribution sites. According to the EPA, bleach is not recommended for cleaning up mold. You can use bleach on hard, nonporous surfaces like countertops, but do not use it on porous surfaces like wood to kill mold — make sure those dry completely before deciding whether to keep them. If using bleach, ventilate the area and never mix it with other cleaning solutions or detergents that contain ammonia, because it could produce toxic fumes.

Debris cleanup

Whether you’re a homeowner or business owner, you must follow local guidelines for debris cleanup, which can take weeks or months. Your local officials will have a schedule for curbside pickup or pickups in designated areas, but it’s your responsibility to get everything there. Volunteer organizations often help haul debris to the curb or remove fallen trees, drywall, and other material. They also might help with removing flooring and appliances, tarping roofs, and eliminating mold. FEMA has guidelines for doing all of this safely.

States or counties may have their own processes for this. For example, CalRecycle, California’s recycling program, has specific guidelines for wildfire cleanup that involve taking care of hazardous materials first, then assessing sites and testing for contaminants when cleaning up other debris. Another example is Garden City, Kansas, which has guidance for storm debris removal — mostly fallen trees — with suggestions on who can help.

Finding help with cleanup

After a disaster, charities and nonprofits can help with house inspections, mucking and gutting, as well as tree and debris removal. Contact Crisis Cleanup at 844-965-1386 to get connected with community groups and faith-based organizations. These services are free but not guaranteed due to overwhelming demand. Check your city or county website, your local news, or local organizations you trust for options.

Read more: How to spot fake contractors, questions to ask anyone who knocks on your door looking to offer services, and more.

 

Download a PDF of this article | Return to Disaster 101

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How disaster relief and response work on Jul 7, 2025.

When a major storm blows through town, local, state, and tribal governments rely on federal funding to help them recover. Rebuilding schools and roads, repairing power lines, and cleaning up debris stretch local budgets, and families need assistance to rebuild or repair their homes or cover the cost of temporary housing. Securing money from the federal government, however, can take months, and distributing it can take even longer. As of late May, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, had a backlog of emergency declaration requests from winter and spring storms and rejected some requests for aid. The Trump administration has signaled that it wants states to shoulder more of the burden of disaster relief, but as of June, FEMA has not yet implemented any changes to the disaster declaration process.

Jump to:

↓ What are the major types of natural disasters?
↓ How is a disaster officially ‘declared’?

What are the major types of natural disasters?

Natural disasters include all types of severe weather, including winter storms, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires. Extreme heat, though not considered an official disaster by FEMA, can be just as dangerous.

These events pose a significant threat to human health and safety, as well as infrastructure. Below are more details on different types of natural disasters. (For simplicity, they will be referred to as “disasters” throughout this toolkit.)

Hurricanes

A hurricane is a tropical storm with sustained winds that top 74 miles per hour. The National Weather Service rates hurricanes on a scale of Category 1 through 5 based on their wind speeds. Category 5 storms are considered the strongest, with wind speeds over 157 miles per hour.

Rising global temperatures are changing the dynamics of hurricanes, and wind speed does not always equate to severity: Lower category storms may produce more rainfall and more damage from flooding. Some researchers have advocated for adjusting how storms are categorized to better reflect their hazards. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, or NOAA, designates June 1 to November 30 as hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific Ocean. But most hurricanes that make landfall occur between August and October, when the conditions for a hurricane — warm waters and high winds — are most likely.

The National Hurricane Center, run by NOAA, tracks hurricanes. NOAA also has a website with much more information about hurricanes.

Read more: How hurricanes are affected by climate change

Wildfires

Wildfires are unplanned fires that often start in forests, rangelands, and grasslands and quickly spread. In 2024, for instance, they burned over 8 million acres. The Western U.S. is often considered the epicenter for wildfires, but these blazes also happen — and are becoming more severe — in the South, Midwest, and Northeast. The seasons for wildfires are typically summer and fall, but that is changing as well as the warming climate alters precipitation patterns. The Los Angeles area wildfires in 2025, for instance, happened in January. Wildfires can start from natural causes such as lightning, but they are also often caused by humans forgetting to extinguish campfires, or by faulty electrical lines. The National Interagency Fire Center has more information about wildfire conditions.

Read more: How wildfires are worsened by climate change

Tornadoes

Tornadoes form when warm and cool air masses collide, resulting in strong winds that begin to rotate in a column reaching the ground at speeds anywhere between 100 and 500 miles per hour. Heavy rain or hail may accompany them. These conditions typically happen during thunderstorms, but that’s not always the case. Read more from NOAA about tornadoes.

A tornado itself may be relatively small in size, but it can travel across dozens of miles before wind speeds drop, carving a path of destruction. In North America, tornadoes tend to occur in the southern plains from May to June, early spring along the Gulf Coast, and June and July in the Midwest. But they can pop up any time of year, almost anywhere, and that’s happening more frequently: Some evidence suggests that “tornado alley,” the area of the U.S. where tornadoes are most likely, is moving eastward. Tornadoes are not as easy to predict as hurricanes or wildfires and can change direction quickly, so you may not have much time to prepare once you hear a tornado siren or get an alert about a warning. There are many myths about tornadoes, including that they do not hit large cities or cross bodies of water. The Missouri state government has a list of other misconceptions here.

Read more: How tornadoes may be affected by climate change

Floods

Flooding is an overflowing of water onto land. This can happen during heavy rainfall or when dams or levees break. Flash floods can happen within minutes of intense rain, which makes them especially dangerous. They can happen anywhere, at any time — not just on the coast or near a river. Floodwaters can fill small creeks and streams that normally run dry; in cities, water can overwhelm storm systems and submerge streets; storm surge from hurricanes can inundate cities. Inland flooding is common and growing in some parts of the country, particularly in the Appalachian Mountains.

You can read more details about types of floods on NOAA’s website, and Grist has more information on how climate change exacerbates storms and flooding. Even if your home isn’t in a flood zone, you might still be at risk. More than a quarter of claims filed through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program include homes that are not in official flood zones. Though there’s a common misconception that flooding rarely occurs in winter, flooding, especially inland flooding, can happen at any time of year.

Read more: How climate change is worsening flooding

Winter storm

Winter storms can bring extreme heavy snow or ice, freezing rain, sleet, and high winds that can block roads, damage homes, cause power outages, and put lives in danger — especially if temperatures drop well below freezing and stay there. Winter storms can happen all over the U.S., even in places that don’t typically see snow. In 2021, Texas and the Deep South experienced a historic winter storm that left people without power and water for days. Read more about winter weather here from FEMA.

How is a disaster officially ‘declared’?

There is a specific process cities, states, and tribal governments must go through to receive federal disaster aid that allows them to access federal funding and resources for both public infrastructure and individual household repairs and rebuilds. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Local emergency managers and public officials work with FEMA on a preliminary damage assessment.

This assessment, done by local officials and a regional FEMA office, examines the damage caused by the natural disaster, the cost estimates for the work ahead, and types of federal assistance needed. The assessment, according to FEMA, must “show that the disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments or Indian tribal government.” 

Read more: How FEMA works

Step 2: State governor or tribal government requests presidential disaster declaration within 30 days of the disaster.

They must show they’re using all their available resources and describe what type of federal assistance is needed to the president through their FEMA regional office (there are 10 total). Tribal governments go through a different process, which is outlined here. States or tribal governments may decide that the extent of a disaster isn’t large enough to warrant a damage assessment, or they might apply and get rejected by the president for additional aid.

Step 3: Federal aid is allocated after approval by the FEMA regional office and president.

There are two types of declarations, which both allow for federal spending on aid: Emergency declarations supplement local government efforts in providing emergency services; major disaster declarations provide a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure.

The federal government can disagree with the damage assessment that a state submits or deny requests for aid. In extreme cases, the president can also expedite a disaster declaration without having to catalog the full cost because damages are so widespread and severe. Remember, many disasters are not federally declared, or even declared by the state, but still cause damage and disruption.

Sophie Hurwitz and Katie Myers contributed to this story.

 

Download a PDF of this article | Return to Disaster 101

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline What exactly is a natural disaster? on Jul 7, 2025.

As the number and ferocity of hurricanes, fires, and other disasters increases, so too does the number of people forced from their homes. Some 3.2 million people were displaced by disasters in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and one-third of them could not return home for more than a month.

Losing your home and everything in it, then having to invest time and money to repair and replace everything, is extremely difficult; navigating insurance companies, government agencies, and legal issues is exhausting and nerve-racking. To help you through it, Grist put together a guide to the process for renters and homeowners.

Jump to:

↓ Protecting your belongings and documents
↓ Are you a renter? Know your rights
↓ How to navigate government aid, donations, and insurance
↓ How to avoid fraud and scams
↓ Building a new home or repairing your home

Protecting your belongings and documents

If you live in a region that’s particularly prone to disasters — hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, for example, or fires in the West — you should prepare well in advance. One of the most important things to do is create digital copies of essential documents, and keep physical copies in a weatherproof bag or container.

For homeowners, that means your homeowners insurance policy, the deed to your house, and loan paperwork. Renters, keep copies of your lease agreement and renters insurance policy if you have one. These documents will help establish your ownership or residency at the time of a disaster. (If you don’t have a written lease, a verbal contract may hold up, but try to find documentation supporting the agreement — a text, email, etc.)

Keeping copies of other helpful files, such as a recent tax return and bank statements, as well as government-issued IDs, Social Security cards, immigration records, and anything else that provides your address is a good idea. Pay stubs can help prove your income if you apply for FEMA aid.

Read more: How to pack an emergency kit and plan your evacuation route

Lastly, consider keeping photos of your home and big ticket items, such as appliances, TVs, stereos, or laptops — and write down serial numbers — so that you can prove what they looked like before the disaster. Government agencies or insurance companies will likely ask for proof that specific damage, like a collapsed roof, isn’t the result of deferred maintenance or a previous disaster.

All of this administrative setup can save a lot of hassle in a crisis. When Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damages in Southeast Texas in 2017, more than a quarter of all FEMA applicants were denied aid; common reasons included that people couldn’t prove homeownership or failed to provide valid identification. In 2020, survivors of the Almeda wildfires in Oregon faced similar hurdles: FEMA denied 57 percent of all applications. Mobile or manufactured homeowners in particular had a hard time proving ownership and residency.

If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, be sure that you have a safe place to go in case of severe weather — especially tornadoes. Here are some helpful tips from the National Weather Service to stay safe. To prepare for hurricanes or other high-wind storms, consider reinforcing your roof, anchoring your foundation, and reinforcing doors.

Are you a renter? Know your rights

Nearly 35 percent of households in the U.S. rent their home, and they are especially vulnerable to the impacts of disasters. They have more limited access to recovery funding from federal aid or insurance, and almost no control over the process of rebuilding their damaged home, since they don’t own the property. Renters insurance primarily covers the cost of personal belongings that are damaged during a disaster; some policies may include reimbursements for hotels or temporary living situations.

Finding new housing after a disaster can be difficult because rents often skyrocket after a disaster, and there are fewer undamaged properties available on the market. While homeowners can request a mortgage payment deferral, landlords often won’t make the same concession. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that rents typically rise between 4 to 6 percent annually for about three years after a major disaster.

In Los Angeles, some units that escaped the Palisades Fire were relisted for three times as much despite a California law capping such increases to 10 percent after a disaster declaration. The organization also found that renters were more likely to be displaced than homeowners, and for longer stretches of time. Evictions also rise in the two years following a disaster.

Renters’ rights and protections vary by state. Some allow tenants to withhold payment until repairs are made; others say nonpayment for that reason could be grounds for eviction. Either way, you may be entitled to certain protections, such as reimbursement for simple repairs you make yourself, through your lease. 

Here are some tips:

• Get it all down in writing. The Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center recommends documenting any conversations you have with your landlord about damages and repairs. This will provide proof of any agreements regarding specific damages, costs, and other details. This can help if you must go to court to break a lease due to unsafe conditions.
• Understand the legal process. Your landlord cannot evict you without filing a legal complaint, and in some states they must provide written warning before taking that step. If you have not terminated or violated your lease, your landlord cannot legally change the locks, shut off the utilities, or remove your property without going through the legal process of eviction — even if you were evacuated or forced from your home. This is important to know because landlords sometimes evict tenants after a disaster to renovate buildings and increase rents. If your landlord attempts to wrongfully evict you, consult a lawyer or a pro bono legal aid organization. 
• Disaster Legal Services, funded by FEMA, works with state bar associations and pro bono lawyers to set up hotlines for legal services following a federally declared disaster. (Call 1-800-621-3362.) However, as of March 2025, parts of that program are suspended after the Trump administration froze some FEMA funding. You can also find free or affordable legal services through other avenues, like typing “legal aid society” and your location into a search engine, or checking with trusted people and organizations in your community. 
• Know how federal aid works. Tenants who are displaced or evicted after a disaster are eligible for help from FEMA. You might receive direct assistance to pay rent, or reimbursement for staying at a hotel. The agency may also provide temporary housing until your home is habitable again. After a series of disasters hit Lake Charles, Louisiana, between 2020 and 2021, some residents lived in FEMA trailers for over a year as they searched for an affordable place to live. 

Read more: How FEMA aid works

Some other resources for renters’ rights:

• The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a host of resources, including how disasters impact federally assisted housing, specific housing needs by state, and a guide on eviction processes.
• Your local health department, city or county government, or legal aid organization will likely have a webpage dedicated to renters’ rights. For example, the Tennessee health department describes renters’ rights, and this outlines landlord and tenant protections for rural east Tennessee specifically.
• The Stanford Legal Design Lab and Charitable Trusts has a database where you can find local legal rules about housing, eviction, rent, and landlord-tenant issues, and groups and guides that can help you with housing assistance. 

Read more: This long-term recovery guide outlines resources you can use in the weeks and months after a disaster

How to navigate government aid, donations, and insurance

Homeowners facing costly repairs after a natural disaster have options for aid. Insurance policies may cover some or all of the damages. Federal agencies like HUD, FEMA, and the Small Business Administration will provide funding as well. Some people turn to their own savings, mutual aid groups that raise money and distribute it directly, or crowdfunding platforms to help cover costs.

Insurance: Homeowners should first file a claim with their insurance company. Based on what your policy covers and your insurer pays, you can then apply for other types of federal aid. It’s important to keep good records and itemize your costs and reimbursements. You can receive payouts from a combination of private and public aid, but be careful of double-dipping: If you will receive funds from one source for specific damage, government aid can’t be used to cover the same costs.

The legal term for this is “duplication of benefits.” Let’s say your insurance paid to replace your roof, but not the cost of removing mold in your walls. You cannot legally receive additional money for the damage to your roof, but you can apply for help covering the cost of mold removal or other damage not covered by your insurance policy.

Federal/state aid: To receive assistance from federal or state agencies, you must submit an application to the agency. This can usually be done online, and you may be able to apply in person or over the phone. There is a specific process cities, states, and tribal governments must navigate in order for residents to receive FEMA aid. If you are a U.S. citizen, or meet certain qualifications as a non-citizen, and live in a disaster declaration area that was approved by FEMA and the president, you are eligible to apply for aid immediately after they announce it. You can apply on disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or at a FEMA recovery center. FEMA offers survivors eligible for individual assistance:

• A one-time grant of $750 for emergency needs and essential items like food, baby items, and medication 
• Temporary housing assistance equivalent to 14 nights in a hotel in your area 
• Up to 18 months of rental assistance
• Payments for lost property that isn’t covered by your homeowners or renters insurance
• Other forms of assistance, depending on your needs and losses

You can track the status of your aid application via the app or disasterassistance.gov and receive notifications if FEMA needs more information from you. 

You will need to provide proof of your identity and residency and document the damages that your home sustained. A FEMA inspector will meet you at your home to determine the damages. If your application is approved, you will receive funds or a loan approval with details on which repairs are covered. 

You may also qualify for rental assistance from FEMA. You must apply for individual disaster assistance to be considered for rental assistance. These funds can be used for rent, including a security deposit, and utilities such as electricity and water, at a house, apartment, hotel, or recreational vehicle that is not your damaged home. Residents in counties with a federal disaster declaration are eligible to apply under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. The rate is set by an area’s Fair Market Rent; find yours here. 

Read more: Everything you need to know when applying for individual and rental assistance from FEMA

If your application is denied, you have the right to appeal the decision within 60 days. You should include any information that was missing from your initial application, as well as supporting documents showing costs, damages, and proof of residence and ownership of your home. Lawyers and community advocates can help you write the appeal. You will need to sign the letter, along with a statement verifying that you authorized someone else to write the appeal. FEMA has 90 days to review your appeal, but delays are possible given the volume of paperwork the agency may be reviewing. 

Some homeowners may also apply for help through the Small Business Administration’s program, which provides low-interest loans for repairs. You don’t have to own a business to apply, and FEMA may refer you to SBA’s application to check if you qualify for additional aid for funds to make your home more resilient to future disasters.

Mortgage, rent, and utility relief: Homeowners may qualify for mortgage relief. Providers aren’t legally required to offer assistance, but they can waive late fees, delay foreclosures, and provide forbearance. It is usually up to the homeowner to initiate a conversation about these options.

If you have a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration, you have more legal protections. If you’re unable to make payments, your mortgage servicer cannot initiate a foreclosure for 90 days after a presidentially declared disaster in your area, and you can negotiate a repayment plan or modify some terms of your loan. You may also be able to meet with HUD-approved counselors trained in foreclosure prevention, who can help you evaluate your options and finances.

Both renters and homeowners may qualify for rental and utility assistance from government agencies and nonprofit organizations. If your home or rental unit is uninhabitable or you cannot stay there for another reason, there are likely organizations providing assistance with finding a place to live. Be on the lookout for applications for these in the days and weeks after a disaster. (If you’re not sure where to start looking, here are some examples of types of organizations that provided these services after Helene in 2024; they included local nonprofits, churches, housing organizations, county governments, and more.)

Crowdfunding/GoFundMe: Some disaster survivors turn to crowdfunding platforms to cover costs for evacuations, funerals, or repairs. According to data from GoFundMe, one of the largest platforms, disaster recovery campaigns in the U.S. raised over $100 million in 2023. This avenue is often faster than waiting on insurance claims and FEMA applications. Donations you receive are considered gifts, and you will not be required to pay taxes on them, as long as you don’t promise donors goods or services in exchange. However, you can’t apply for other sources of aid to cover the same expenses you list in the campaign you create.

Read more: The agencies, organizations, and officials that respond to disasters

How to avoid fraud and scams

There’s always the risk of fraud as con artists posting as government officials or unscrupulous contractors try to bilk people out of their money or rip them off with shoddy work. A few tips can minimize the risk.

• Verify the identity of anyone who approaches you unsolicited with offers of help. Ask for identification. FEMA employees, housing inspectors, and other government officials carry official IDs. A government uniform is not proof of identification.
• Government officials will not ask you for money or for financial information. Do not trust anyone who seeks payment up front or promises a loan or grant.
• Work with reputable contractors and check their credentials and licenses before hiring them (more on this below). Here are some tips from the National Insurance Crime Bureau to avoid getting taken.
• Ask for written quotes and contracts throughout the process.

If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse, you can report it to the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or email StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov. You also can contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud. Before calling, gather as many details as possible, including how and where it occurred. You can also report it to your state’s attorney general or local law enforcement. 

Be wary of disaster investors: You may receive calls, texts, or other communications pressuring you to sell your home as-is, for cash. These “disaster investors” take advantage of the stress and uncertainty that people feel as they return to damaged homes. Their offers often target individuals who will have a difficult path to recovery, including low-income homeowners and the elderly.

In Hawaii, following the devastating 2023 wildfires, the governor issued an order banning such unsolicited offers in Maui, and the state eventually opened investigations into some companies.

Investors trying to scoop up properties to flip after a disaster will often make offers that are lower than market value, even with the damage your home might have sustained. If you are interested in selling, work with a trusted real estate agent of your choosing, and check what comparable homes should sell for in your area. Never sign any agreements or contracts about a potential sale without carefully reviewing them — no matter how much you’re pressured to sign on the spot.

Choose a contractor carefully: You’ll likely need to hire a contractor to do major repairs, and it’s important to vet any offers to fix up your home. Here are some tips for avoiding scams from the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors and Legal Aid of East Tennessee:

• Be wary of door-to-door repair solicitations or people who demand deposits or payments in cash. Contact your insurance company for guidance before beginning any work.
• Require a written contract that outlines the work to be done, materials to be used, a payment schedule based on completion of work, and a timeline for completion. A licensed general contractor is generally required to be insured and list their license number on all contracts.
• Do not make payments before the work specified on the payment schedule is completed.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau for any history of complaints: 1-800-544-7693 or online. You can also look at reviews on sites such as Yelp, Google, or Angie’s List.
• Verify the company’s permanent business address.
• Check with your local home builders association to verify credentials and membership.
• Some contractors require you to obtain permits, and others take care of it. Ask your contractor, and then contact your local building inspections and permitting office to determine if permits are required. If so, confirm that the contractor has acquired them before construction begins.
• Before making final payment, evaluate the completed work and require the contractor to confirm that all subcontractors and suppliers have been paid to eliminate potential liens on your property.
• You can always verify whether the contractor is licensed to perform the specific work by visiting licensing board websites or calling the board offices. 

Building a new home or repairing your home

As you make repairs or reconstruct your home, you may be able to use insurance payouts and other assistance to make the place more resilient. (If you’re interested in learning more about rebuilding after disasters, read this report from Ohio River Valley Institute about housing damage from the 2022 Kentucky floods.)

Consider installing more energy-efficient features, including new insulation, double-paned windows, and hurricane shutters. If you’re in a flood zone, you may want to elevate outdoor components of your HVAC system so that they don’t flood in the future. If you live in a tornado-prone area, you could add or retrofit a room to serve as a storm shelter. Materials like stucco can help fire-proof your home more than wood or vinyl siding. Some communities can qualify for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, a federally funded program managed by local government agencies, that aims to help homeowners with structural elevation, reinforcing buildings to withstand natural disasters, and buyouts by FEMA. The land is deeded to the local county for parks, greenways, and other municipal projects.

In some flood cases, you may be required to elevate your home to avoid future damages. This is typically the case if you participate in the National Flood Insurance Program or if your community has or adopts stricter floodplain management. After receiving FEMA aid, you could be required to purchase a flood insurance policy.

After clearing out debris, consider planting native grasses, shrubs, and trees that suit your local ecology. This can help prevent soil erosion and improve drainage, which might help reduce water in your home during major rainstorms, particularly in basements. Some native species may be drought-tolerant and somewhat fire-resistant, as well. Opting for pea gravel or stones to fill out your landscaping instead of Bermuda grass can help reduce the risks of fire spreading over your lawn. Make sure that you create a buffer zone between your house and landscaping; additionally, pruning and clearing fallen branches and leaves can help reduce future risks.

Read more: How to make sure your home is better protected from disasters

 

Download a PDF of this article | Return to Disaster 101

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How to find housing and rebuild your home after a disaster on Jul 7, 2025.

Disaster recovery is not a simple process. It takes months, even years, for communities to distribute aid, rebuild, and begin to move forward. Your landscape and community has likely changed in many ways: People leave and don’t return, infrastructure and businesses are damaged or gone. And if you have lived through it, you’ve probably changed, too. The attention on your community will fade after a few weeks, and then it’s left to those who stay to manage this process and hopefully prevent catastrophic damage from the next disaster.

That’s no easy task. Grist has a toolkit below for long-term recovery, including how to take care of your mental health and well-being, how to find unemployment and assistance programs, and how to keep tabs on disaster aid in your area so you know the right questions to ask. Most importantly, we want to offer you resources — locally, regionally, and nationally — that can help you navigate the road ahead.

Jump to:

↓ Managing long-term recovery
↓ Mental health resources
↓ Substance abuse resources
↓ Fraud and scams
↓ Preparing for the next disaster
↓ Federal assistance programs
↓ How to track disaster spending in your community
↓ Questions to ask about long-term recovery
↓ Recovery resources

Managing long-term recovery

For any community, it’s important to have coordination and communication among public, private, and nonprofit organizations throughout the recovery process. According to this graphic from the city of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, long-term recovery can include everything that public and private sectors work together on, such as rebuilding infrastructure, financial assistance, economic and workforce development programs, redesigning codes and plans to protect people from future disasters, and more.

The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOAD, has some helpful things to consider when working on long-term community and individual recovery:

• Consider creating a long-term recovery group with other stakeholders in your community if one does not already exist. This can be informal or turned into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This ensures that the local community is leading the way, but there should be clear guidelines and a diverse and inclusive group of stakeholders involved. VOAD has considerations for creating these groups and managing their budgets here.
• Consider hosting public gatherings and memorials in the months and years after disasters to mark the event and support community members during difficult times. These should involve survivors, local faith leaders, and other trusted leaders.
• Keep track of unmet needs — anything from private roads that need repair to waterways that need cleaning up to random issues that arise months later — and develop a way to prioritize them. This can help you figure out where to access funding and who is being left out of the recovery process. Here’s an example of what that looked like a year after Hurricane Laura. 

Read more: How disaster response impacts long-term recovery

Mental health resources

Disasters affect people in many different ways, and it’s normal to grieve your losses — personal, professional, community — in your own time. You may feel sad, angry, or fearful. In 2021, Southerly interviewed Kevin Yaudes, who runs the Kay Doré Counseling Clinic at McNeese State University, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit the southwest part of the state. “The effort to be positive and move forward was so strong that it was clouding the fact that the storms had taken their toll,” Yaudes said. “Two things can be true at the same time. It is OK to feel both sorrow for loss and gratitude that the situation was manageable.” For many residents, knowing there were affordable options for counseling, and that others were experiencing similar feelings, was important.

Disaster relief organizations, churches, mutual aid groups that offer direct financial support (you can find many mutual aid groups here), and other institutions will likely offer free or affordable counseling, or can direct you to the right place. Check your local government website, local news TV stations, newspapers, and local radio stations for options.

General mental health helplines:

• The National Center for PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, on what to expect after experiencing a disaster (en Español).
• If you are feeling suicidal, call 988 or start an online chat with someone through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifelife (en Español). 
• Veterans going through a crisis can also dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and press 1, or chat online here.
• The National Alliance on Mental Health, or NAMI, has a network of organizations and affiliates across the U.S. Find the closest one to you here. You can also text “helpline” to 62640 or call 1-800-950-6264 (en Español). 

Disaster helplines and resources:

• The American Red Cross has mental health volunteers they often dispatch to areas hit by a disaster. They have guides in multiple languages about mental and emotional health. 
• The Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program is a short-term disaster relief grant program, funded by FEMA and managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. It is available to states, U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribes in a federal disaster declaration area. Email dtac@samhsa.hhs.gov to learn if there’s a program in your area.
• SAMHSA also has many fact sheets for coping with disasters and trauma here. 

All of these agencies and organizations will point you to the Disaster Distress Helpline that provides 24/7 crisis counseling and support. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 for English and Spanish.

However, there are limitations with the helpline: In 2020, the Center for Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations teamed up with local news outlets across the country to examine the toll disasters take on mental health. They found that federal programs reach just a fraction of survivors, and that communities were creating their own counseling programs to fill in the gaps. Here are some of the tips they gathered from people who have lived through disasters.

Substance abuse resources

Research shows that disasters can result in increased alcohol and drug use among people who previously did not use them, and relapses for those who have struggled with alcohol and drug abuse disorders. Not only is it an exceptionally stressful and triggering time, but services can be disrupted if buildings are destroyed or people are displaced.

Gathered from a variety of clinics as well as federal and state resources, here are some ways to cope after a disaster if you struggle with drugs or alcohol:

• Check your local Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, health care provider, or SMART Recovery for meeting updates and location changes. 
• Reach out to your sponsors, old friends who have helped you in the past, or family you trust. If you suspect someone you know is struggling, here are some ways to help them, from the Minnesota Department of Health. 
• There are many ways you can try to keep to a routine. An Illinois-based clinic called Rosecrance has some helpful tips here.
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline is confidential, free, and available anytime in English and Spanish. Call 1-800-662-4357, visit SAMHSA’s online treatment locator, or text your ZIP code to 435748 to find help near you.

Fraud and scams

There’s always the risk of fraud as con artists posting as government officials or unscrupulous contractors try to bilk people out of their money or rip them off with shoddy work. Here’s a timeline of how disaster fraud often plays out. A few tips can minimize the risk. 

• Verify the identity of anyone who approaches you unsolicited with offers of help. Ask for identification. FEMA employees, housing inspectors, and other government officials carry official IDs. A government uniform is not proof of identification.
• Government officials will not ask you for money or for financial information. Do not trust anyone who seeks payment up front or promises a loan or grant.
• Work with reputable contractors and check their credentials and licenses before hiring them (more on this below). Here are some tips from the National Insurance Crime Bureau to avoid getting taken.
• Ask for written quotes and contracts throughout the process.

If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse, you can report it to the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or email StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov. You also can contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud. Before calling, gather as many details as possible, including how and where it occurred. You can also report it to your state’s attorney general or local law enforcement. 

Emergency Legal Responders, which provides free, accessible, and easily understandable information and services, has a form to report disaster scams you encounter so they can find patterns and update resources for the public. 

Read more: How to spot fake contractors and questions to ask anyone who knocks on your door looking to offer services

Preparing for the next disaster

Repeated exposure to major disasters can take a heavy toll on your mental health, according to a 2022 study from Texas A&M University School of Public Health. People who experienced two or more events over the past five years had mental health scores below national levels. These mental health challenges can manifest in a variety of ways. For some people, reactions to stress can feel just as intense as the first time. For example, you may get extremely anxious when you hear heavy rainfall after you’ve survived a flood. NAMI has tips on identifying signs and dealing with triggering events here.

Read more: How to protect your health if a disaster strikes your community

As extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you’ll experience multiple disasters in a short time span. It’s important to stay prepared — especially if you were caught off guard the first time.

Read more: How to prepare for a disaster

Federal assistance programs you may be eligible for Disaster-related unemployment

The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program provides temporary benefits to people who, as a result of a major disaster, lost their jobs or had their self-employment interrupted. You are eligible for this assistance if you live in a city, county, or state where a federal disaster declaration has been made and you aren’t eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits. You must file a claim with your state insurance agency. If you have evacuated to another state, you can still apply.

To learn more, contact your state’s unemployment office. Search for yours here. If you’ve moved or have been evacuated to another state, contact your home state. The Department of Labor also has other tips if you need to find a job, relocate, or replace your driver’s license, birth certificate, or other documents.

H-2A worker assistance

If you are an agricultural worker on a temporary visa and you lose a job when a flood or storm hits, your employer must give you up to 75 percent of your lost wages. This is a federal law. If you are an H-2A worker and your employer does not provide these lost wages, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor. (Here are instructions in English and Español on how to do that.) Some people have reported retaliation for making a complaint about working conditions. You can tell the Department of Labor if you think this has happened to you.

Read more: Know your rights as an immigrant before, during, and after disasters

How to track disaster spending in your community

After a disaster, huge sums of money trickle down and change hands to fund debris cleanup, repairs, reconstruction, and more. We hope these tips will be helpful for local journalists looking for stories after a disaster, as well as community members who are interested in better understanding how projects are prioritized and funding is distributed.

• Attend your local city council, county commission, and school board meetings. If structures like schools and city buildings are destroyed, your county or city will be designating funding for repairs and rebuilds. By attending meetings and asking questions, you can stay updated and make sure local officials are spending money on the things that should be prioritized first. Here’s an example from Southerly, which hired residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, to take notes at meetings and write about the patterns they saw after Hurricane Laura. 
• You can also use these meetings, plus news stories or press releases from the offices of your governor or mayor, to track what companies governments are contracting with to clean up debris, repair roads and buildings, and more. For example, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting reported on complaints and lawsuits against a debris cleanup company accused of taking property without consent and leaving flood debris behind that clogged waterways in 2022. The city of Louisville hired the same company to clean up after floods in 2025. 
• Pay attention to how your neighbors and family members are doing as they wait for federal or state funding for repairs for their homes or businesses, or other housing assistance. If you’re going through the process yourself, take notes about everything and keep track of your documents. Here’s another example from Hurricane Laura.
• Know what data to look at. FEMA is required by law to provide a report by the fifth day of each month on the Disaster Relief Fund, “which includes a funding summary, a table delineating the DRF funding activities each month by state and event, a summary of the funding for the catastrophic events, and an estimate of the date on which the funds will be exhausted.” You can search for these reports here. In addition, the agency must update the OpenFEMA dataset frequently after disasters; it provides detailed applicant-level data on the agency’s individual and households program. After the 2022 Kentucky floods, an Appalachian think tank tracked funding for housing rebuilds using this data. Here’s a link to more datasets from OpenFEMA. 

Read more: How FEMA aid works

Questions to ask about long-term recovery

There are other aspects of the recovery process in the months and years after a disaster that it’s important to be aware of. Here are some questions to ask your local officials and community leaders:

• How is the rebuilding effort making homes and businesses safer for future disasters? Are developers and the local government putting homes on higher ground in case of more flooding, or investing in materials that can guard against fire or wind? 
• How are your officials mitigating future disasters when it comes to infrastructure improvements?
• What are the economic development initiatives that the community is focusing on in order to strengthen the local and regional economy?
• How is your community keeping price gouging and fraud down, whether that’s in the housing market, at the grocery store, or for building supplies?

Recovery resources

Recovery is not a prescriptive process, and some of the best advice you’ll find is from other people who have survived disasters. Grist wants to continue adding to this recovery resource, and we encourage you to send workshops, toolkits, links, and stories that have helped you to community@grist.org.

• After the Flood documentary, about how communities have rebuilt since the 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods, from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
• Disaster Resiliency and Recovery: A Guide for Rural Communities (USDA, 2021)
• Community Recovery Management Toolkit (from FEMA)
• Extreme Weather Survivors is a network of people who have experienced disasters. They offer resources, storytelling, and workshops, and more.

 

Download a PDF of this article | Return to Disaster 101

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline What you should know about disaster recovery  on Jul 7, 2025.