JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Torrential rain swept across the Northeastern United States Monday night, causing deadly flash flooding in parts of New York and New Jersey. Rising water shut down subways and stranded vehicles. And this comes after catastrophic flooding in central Texas where at least 130 people are dead, and nearly 100 people are listed as missing. Michael Copley from NPR's climate desk is here to talk about what's causing these devastating rainstorms and what people can do to stay safe. Hi there.
MICHAEL COPLEY, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Michael, over the past couple of weeks, so many of us have been really just shocked to see the intensity of some of this flooding. What can you tell us about why we're experiencing such extreme weather?
COPLEY: Yeah, so in general, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. So people keep releasing a ton of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, and that's raising global temperatures and fueling more intense rainstorms that drop more water in shorter periods of time. And we're going to see more extreme weather events as the Earth keeps heating up, and that's going to pose bigger threats to people and their homes and cities. Here's Gernot Wagner. He's a climate economist at Columbia Business School.
GERNOT WAGNER: It seems to be bad right now. This is the best year of our lifetimes.
COPLEY: Wagner says communities need to invest billions and billions to deal with more extreme weather.
SUMMERS: OK, billions and billions, but what kinds of investments are we talking about here?
COPLEY: Yeah, we're talking about overhauling stormwater management systems that cities built decades ago so that they can handle more water coming down in these storms. They're also going to have to make big investments in underground rail systems, like the New York subway. There have been cases of passengers stranded and service disrupted in places like Boston, D.C. and London in recent years. Some cities are trying to make investments to make their systems more resilient to climate change, waterproofing stations and tunnels. But keeping water out is a constant battle. And Wagner says some flooding, like we saw last night in the New York subway, is expected.
WAGNER: Yes, certain amount of flooding around the tracks in the subway system is, in fact, by design. Well, more flooding like that and people will die.
COPLEY: Wagner says a lot of these transportation systems are already operating at or near the breaking point.
SUMMERS: I mean, these flash floods, they can happen rather quickly. So what can people do to stay safe?
COPLEY: Yeah, they do happen really, really quickly. It's important to make sure that you're getting the emergency alerts. People get those through their cellphones. Oftentimes, they're often - they're also broadcast over the radio and television. And when flash flood warnings go out, experts say you really need to take them seriously. Maybe delay your commute. Don't drive through flooded areas. Also, check the flood risk at your home. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a tool for that, so does First Street. It's an organization that assesses climate risk. And then you need to think about what are you going to do in an emergency? Pack a bag ahead of time with important stuff, like documents and medication. And think about if you need to evacuate, how can you get to higher ground quickly?
SUMMERS: Right. And Michael, I understand that according to the government, just 4% of homeowners have flood insurance, is that right?
COPLEY: That's right. Yeah, I think most people don't know that home insurance doesn't generally cover flooding. They don't know that they need to buy a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private company. Or they think they only need flood insurance if they're in a flood zone. Anderson Baker is a retired insurance executive in Louisiana, and here's what he has to say to that.
ANDERSON BAKER: Everybody's in a flood zone. People at the top of the mountain are in a flood zone. They're just in a good flood zone.
COPLEY: The other issue is - that we're seeing is flood insurance is getting pretty expensive around the country, especially in flood-prone areas. And that cost is often a deal-breaker, especially for people on tight budgets. But when homeowners don't have flood insurance, often they're on their own to deal with the damage, and that can be devastating financially.
SUMMERS: Michael Copley from NPR's climate desk. Michael, thank you.
COPLEY: Thank you, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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