Key Facts Of The Day 10/05

Hurricanes

• Today, President Biden is heading to Florida to assess damage and recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian. 
  • Biden will survey Florida’s badly damaged Fort Myers by helicopter, before meeting with residents and disaster-relief officials
  • As of Wednesday morning, over 300,000 customers in Florida remained without power.
  • Disasters like Hurricane Ian can make inequality worse.
    • While damage was less severe in lower-income neighborhoods further inland, flooding and high winds still dealt a heavy blow in places like Dunbar – one that many residents can ill afford.
      • In the zip code that includes Dunbar, the median income is $38,000, and nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. 
      • Dunbar is a historically Black area of Fort Myers that also houses a growing Hispanic and Latino population.
      • Unlike the affluent seaside communities of Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach, where the media has descended to chronicle every detail of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the people who live in the squat homes in Dunbar have faced the crisis mostly on their own. 
  • The devastating storm hit Florida’s high population of seniors hard and some are now reconsidering their future in the state.
    • According to US census data, 40.5% of residents in Charlotte county, 33.1% of residents in Collier county, and 29.1% of residents in Lee county are age 65 or older, nearly twice the percentage of the US population. 
• As of Wednesday, an estimated 101,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico.
• Puerto Ricans may be facing a mental health crisis, experts say, as hurricanes, earthquakes, and a global pandemic have traumatized island residents, destroyed homes, and ripped families apart over the last five years.
  • Puerto Rico’s Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration said calls to its crisis hotline have skyrocketed since Hurricane Fiona hit the island.
  • The inadequate local and federal responses to these natural disasters adds another layer of despair as many Puerto Ricans struggle with the island’s economic and political status as a U.S. territory.
• Up to 10 homes were damaged after a tornado touched down in northern Arizona on Monday.
  • Around Phoenix, dust storms caused downed power lines, ignited fires, and cut power to thousands.
  • One adult was treated for smoke inhalation in one of those fires, and some people were displaced from their apartments.
  • More than 82,000 customers around Phoenix were without power because of the storms.

Wildfires

• As of Wednesday, there are currently 74 large active wildfires that have burned 786,393 across CA, ID, MT, NE, OK, OR, SD, TX, and WA. As of Wednesday, 54,717 wildfires have burned 6,928,540 acres across the country.
• In California, 1 fire has burned 76,788 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Mosquito Fire has burned 76,788 acres and is 95% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Oregon, 5 fires have burned 327,177 acres as of Wednesday.
  • The Cedar Creek Fire has burned 120,855 acres and is 36% contained as of Wednesday.
• In Texas, 2 fires have burned 2,113 acres as of Wednesday.
• In Washington, 11 fires have burned 23,839 acres as of Wednesday.

Extreme Heat

• California’s drought has become the state’s driest three-year period on record and a fourth dry year is looking increasingly likely.
  • Nearly 95% of California remains in extreme, exceptional, or severe drought, the three worst categories under the U.S. Drought Monitor.
• Oregon is set to become the first state in the nation to cover climate change expenses for certain low-income patients under its Medicaid program as the normally temperate Pacific Northwest region sees longer heat waves and more intense wildfires.
  • The new initiative will cover payment for devices such as air conditioners and air filters for Medicaid members with health conditions who live in an area where an emergency due to extreme weather has been declared by the federal government or the governor’s office
• A new report by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives found that zero-waste practices like composting and production cuts could cut global waste emissions by 84%, or more than 1.4 billion metric tons per year — the equivalent of removing all cars from U.S. roadways.
  • Food waste alone is responsible for some 10% of global climate pollution.

New Reports and Data

• An October 2022 report found that zero-waste practices like composting and production cuts could cut global waste emissions by 84%.
• An October 2022 report found that climate change could, in the short term, be favoring La Niñas.