"Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." During a hot spell or a cold snap, Grandma would invariably punctuate her conversation with these words.
She lived to the ripe age of 98, and was known for her story-telling and favorite expressions. I never doubted that this quote originated with her. It wasn't until years later that I saw it attributed to the American writer, Mark Twain (or possibly his good friend and collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner).
Grandma, the daughter of a farmer, married into a neighboring farm family. Based on her lived experience, she was making the point that weather is an uncontrollable. Even as a kid growing up on the farm, I knew that the weather surely was the most important thing going on in the world every day! Whenever the forecast came on the radio, or TV newscast, all our conversations would immediately cease so that Dad wouldn't miss a single word.
After all, if the hay was ready to bale, it was critical for Dad to know the chances of rain, the relative humidity, and the predicted temperature. Weather was a vital factor during planting and harvesting seasons, and a good rain just as the corn crop began to tassel would ensure excellent pollination. Our lives revolved around the weather.
On the other hand, I noticed that the weather only seemed to be a major concern to my nonfarm school friends if it threatened to ruin their plans for holiday activities or vacation travel. Or, of course, if it prompted the school superintendent to declare a snow day.
No longer on a need-to-know basis
Today, after farming with my husband for almost four decades, the world has revolved 180-degrees. The weather is no longer simply a focal point for farmers. In fact, it's often the lead story for all Americans --no matter their occupation or location.
At times, weather can be critically important. However, it's hard not to notice the distinct ramp-up of weather coverage. Earlier this year, KCCI in Des Moines had a staff of five fulltime meteorologists. We hear a lot about Super Doppler radar, and we're learning a novel vocabulary, including "atmospheric rivers" and "the Polar Vortex." How about this recent headline, Heat wave to sear central US over Labor Day weekend?
Weather no longer requires a local connection. Today's constant weather drumbeat awakens new anxieties for Iowans with relatives in far-flung locations. When wildfires rage out of control in California, I worry about my nephew and his wife. Recently, when an earthquake hit, we were relieved that it didn't concern them – or their housecats.
We also have a niece and nephew living in Tampa. Each hurricane season seems to pose threats of damaging winds or floods. Idalia, the current iteration, landed north of Tampa, but Lydia, a TV reporter, is required to show up at the newsroom during hurricanes.
Shelter in place
Yet as a youngster, I swear I learned in social studies that the United States was blessed with great wealth and success because of our natural resources of coal and oil, fertile soil, and a favorable location in the world. So many other countries, especially in the developing world, seemed plagued by horrific weather-related disasters: floods, droughts, hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
Yes, Iowa had tornadoes, severe snow and ice storms, occasional droughts and floods. California had earthquakes, torrential rainfall, and mudslides. But so much of the death and destruction across the globe seemed a distant reality. I felt sheltered living on the North American continent, and especially in the heart of the Midwest: Iowa.
Extreme weather is much more common today across our continent--and in Iowa. It still surprised me to read this recent headline, US leads the world in weather disasters. Surely it couldn't be true. But the experts pointed out that the United States is uniquely sandwiched between two oceans. It also is impacted by the hot, moist air of the Gulf of Mexico and the cooler, dry air lifted by the Rocky Mountains. On top of this, it contends with clashing storm fronts and the jet stream, and features exposed peninsulas like Florida.
What's our risk tolerance?
So what has changed since I was a social studies student? Obviously, not the geography of the U.S. Are other factors clouding the outlook?
Could some disasters be traced to our lifestyles, or our capitalist pursuits? Are Americans exacerbating the situation?
Experts in this field point to two fundamental factors racheting up risks:
(1) Where and how cities grow: If you look at a U.S. map, you'll see that seven of 10 of the largest metro areas in the U.S. are located on coastal areas. These populations have grown rapidly (7% in the 10 largest ones since 2010).
Our population also has been shifting toward the South, a region with a higher potential for weather disasters. The South also has more manufactured housing, which is vulnerable to weather-related storms. According to ClimateCheck, from 2016 to 2020, more people moved in than moved out of the 50 counties most prone to weather risks. This includes Florida, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. East Coast developers have increasingly ventured onto exposed coastlines and barrier islands. One in six Americans lives in areas with "significant" wildfire risk.
(2) Access to critical emergency services and infrastructure
Poverty also is a factor in the South, and in larger cities. Poor families, as well as minority populations, are more susceptible to weather-related damages. The bipartisan Infrastructure law can play an integral role. The U.S. Dept. of Energy is providing $95 million to Hawaiian Electric in Maui to strengthen its power grid. Accurate early warning systems, including broadband, are vital, too. During massive flooding in Kentucky last summer, limited cell and Internet service allowed for little advance warning.
Just this week, we learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is running low on funds. The simultaneous disasters of Hurricane Idalia and Maui wildfires are its priority now. However, there have been 65 federal disasters and emergencies since April 1 – more than any year from 1953 to 1995 (E & E news analysis of FEMA records).
President Biden is requesting $16 billion to replenish FEMA, but it's attached to Ukraine funding and border funding, so politics will be an issue.
Individual vs. common good
The wild card, of course, is climate change. Iowa's landscape in the path of the 2020 derecho remains visibly scarred. Hazy skies over Iowa this summer are created by wildfires in neighboring Canada. Seven consecutive days last month with heat indices of 100 or more kept many of us trapped indoors.
I even read that the wedding season may be shifting from summertime. We attended an outdoor wedding a month ago when the temperature was 96 degrees. Wedding insurance covering weather emergencies is common.
Decades ago, Americans made the decision to move to deserts, guzzling up precious water to transform it into the green, green grass of home. We've built an agricultural powerhouse in the West, where irrigated crops rely on dwindling underground aquifers.
A recent survey by the Robert Wood Johnston Foundation found that more than three-fourths of Americans have been affected by extreme weather – and its financial repercussions – in the last five years. Is it time to stop rolling the dice? Are some places too dangerous to live?
You might say that this is an individual decision. But increasingly, it's not. Homeowners' insurance costs are escalating throughout the U.S. Some private insurers have exited Florida, leaving the government and taxpayers on the hook.
Are stricter building standards needed? Climate resistant building materials make homes more resilient, but raise building costs. FEMA offers a National Flood Insurance Program; 82% of Florida residents do not have flood insurance. Should states use carrots – or sticks – to get the point across?
Some families along the Nature Coast of Florida, including Horseshoe Beach, have made their livelihood fishing, shrimping, and clamming for generations. Now they're caught in the throes of climate change. Others in Cedar Key, jutting four miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, are rebuilding. For those who rebuild in risk-prone areas, experts advise it's their personal responsibility to purchase:
·     Flood insurance
·     Air conditioning
·     Portable generator
·     Home insulation
Grandma knew we couldn't control Mother Nature, so she repeatedly said, "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." But as risky human decisions clearly combine with the accelerating impacts of climate change, it no longer seems true that we only can talk about it. We could do something. We must do something!
I’m delighted to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative!
Laura Belin:Â Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
The future seems quite dim some days. We could change things if there was the political will to do so. So many special interests in our capitalist society block the solutions from happening.
Thank you for writing such a thoughtful perspective, Cheryl. We do need to start a very serious conversation about what is going on. Politics is letting our children and grandchildren down.