Help
Matt Thomas
Fathom Creative
Silkscreen, Circa 2005
Washington, D.C.
46845
Last week, Hurricane Helene tore through parts of the Southeastern United States, killing over 200 and costing at least $27 billion worth of damage in the U.S., Mexico, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Honduras. It is the second deadliest hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in 50 years, trailing only Hurricane Katrina (2005). Hundreds of roads are closed, hindering the delivery of much needed aid, and over 850,000 households have been left without power for days. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has contributed significantly to aid efforts but is already $9 billion short in funding this year.
Climate scientists have found that climate change caused over 50% more rainfall during Hurricane Helene. Hurricanes are also now 20% wetter over the Southeast U.S. and Gulf of Mexico than decades ago and developing much quicker too, giving communities less time to prepare for their landfall.
The human-caused disastrous changes in our climate are irreversible. Even if we saw worldwide cooperation today that immediately cut fossil fuel emissions back down to sustainable levels, extreme hurricanes like Helene, Ian, and Katrina will continue to form.
But the world is not acting to stop further damage to our climate. Should Donald Trump be re-elected next month, Project 2025 would cut funding to NOAA and other federal science and disaster preparedness departments. Kamala Harris, though vocal about tackling the climate crisis, has stated that she intends to keep fracking and maintaining U.S. militarism (the Department of Defense is the single largest institutional fossil fuel user in the world and is responsible for 80% of federal energy consumption).
CSPG's Poster of the Week was produced by the Hurricane Poster Project, an international collaboration of artists who raised $50,000 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The storm, which destroyed much of New Orleans and killed over 1,400 people in 2005, was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, partially due to the government’s failure to act on warnings. A study of Hurricane Katrina also showed that higher sea levels due to global warming led to flood elevations 15-60% higher than in 1900. The poster’s simple message of “Help” made up of the roofs of submerged houses remains a devastating plea too many victims of the climate crisis are echoing nearly 20 years later.
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