Experts Warn Climate Change Is Fueling Deadly, Unpredictable Disasters Across the U.S.

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering the USA

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Image Source: Mario Tama/Getty Images

After more than 100 people were killed in a catastrophic flash flood in central Texas this month, questions are once again rising about how prepared Americans are for the new era of extreme weather. The tragedy has drawn chilling parallels to a deadly 1987 flood in the same region, but experts warn that the stakes are now even higher and the risks far more widespread.

From killer heat waves in the once-cool Pacific Northwest to wildfires in tropical Hawaii and hurricane remnants devastating inland North Carolina, the new normal of climate-fueled disasters is touching parts of the country that never expected it.

“What used to be extreme becomes average. What used to never happen becomes the new extreme,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a climate scientist at Princeton University. “We’re standing on the tracks while a climate disaster train is heading straight at us.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 10-year summer average of their Climate Extremes Index—tracking events like hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves is now 58% higher than in the 1980s. Yet, communities and governments are slow to adapt.

Experts warn that denial, complacency, and outdated infrastructure are compounding the crisis. “We have more people living in harm’s way, especially in coastal and wildfire-prone areas,” said Lori Peek, Director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado. “Surviving one disaster doesn’t mean the next one won’t be worse.”

Psychological factors such as “normalcy bias” where people assume the future will look like the past are partly to blame. “We get flash flooding in Texas all the time,” some residents have said. But meteorologists argue this dismisses the unprecedented rainfall that overwhelmed emergency systems and devastated communities in hours.

“We’re not just dealing with changing weather, we’re dealing with a shifting mindset that must happen,” said Marshall Shepherd, a meteorology professor at the University of Georgia.

Even worse, experts fear the country’s ability to prepare is being undermined. Layoffs and budget cuts under the Trump administration are hollowing out key agencies such as FEMA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey just when their expertise is most needed. “We’re destroying the very capabilities that could help us survive future disasters,” said Oppenheimer.

From Texas to Hawaii, the message is clear: what once seemed unimaginable is now becoming reality.

“If you're used to minor flooding, wildfires far away, or mild summers look at Texas, at Hawaii, at Oregon. This is a new baseline,” said Kim Klockow McClain, an expert in extreme weather communication. “The future isn’t just coming. It’s already here.”