Floods, Fires & Hurricanes: Are They Really Getting Worse?

Every year we seem to hear the news crying out with headlines detailing record flooding, uncontainable fires, hurricanes that are stronger than ever, etc. But the big question remains - are these disasters happening more frequently and with more intensity, or are we simply exposed to them more because of the media of today?

Rising sea levels, hotter summers, footed in constant stimulus from the news - it may feel like disasters are on the rise. In this blog, we will take a closer look at the facts about floods, fires, and hurricanes and whether they are actually getting worse or if perceptions are painting a different picture.

Understanding Natural Disasters

Natural disasters have always happened. In the past, there were many floods, fires, and storms. What is new is the way in which we track and measure and report them. A hurricane could ravage a coastal community one hundred years ago and be overlooked outside of the area. Today, satellite images, weather applications, and a 24-7 news cycle share every detail of the storm, with everyone in the world.

This means two things:

• We have more information than we have ever had before. Scientists can now compare patterns over decades and even centuries.
• We hear about disasters more than we have before (even smaller events that may have not captured the global audience of earlier centuries now make the news).

Thus while the total number of disasters seems to be on the rise it begs the question: is this due to our current coverage, or are the disasters themselves actually worse?

Floods: Increasing Waters and Increasing Risk

Flooding is among the most common forms of natural disaster throughout the world. In many places, flood disasters are increasing and becoming more catastrophic. Climate change contributes largely to this-- increased climate instability leads to more precipitation, glacier melt, and increased sea level rise, all of which contribute to flooding events that are more damaging and catastrophic. Rapid city division is another factor that is contributing to flooding; more concrete means decreased absorbability of land, which then creates more flash flows.

We are experiencing this change today. Flooding in Europe and Asia, coupled with unprecedented rainfall in the USA, have led to massive losses from flooding. The historical record has numerous floods and flood harms—from floods in ancient river civilizations (Nile and Indus) who dealt with seasonal flooding. Now what we have today is the human population and infrastructure; today there are more people in areas at risk of flooding, resulting in greater human and economic impact.

Fires: Why Wildfires Appear to be More Severe

Wildland fires are, by nature, a large part of many ecosystems, but they have appeared in recent years to be bigger, faster, and harder to control. Global warming and prolonged dry periods have created a perfect storm of fire conditions. Summer temps have been hotter and drier than in previous years in several areas. When we think about how fast fire can spread with just a single spark from lightning or man-made, or that residents from the nearest communities may not have enough time to react, things can change in a minute's notice.

Another part of the problem is humans. Towns and cities are stretching out to meet forests and grasslands, making more people and property vulnerable to fire. Additionally, changes in land-use, from deforestation or bad fire management, produces additional fuel for the fire.

Wildfires have always occurred, and while we can certainly read about historic wildfires in research literature and popular media alike, scientific data show a pattern of increased extreme fire events in recent decades. The fire damage we see today is not only due to favorable reporting in the media; it is representative of the destabilization of climate and a growing human susceptibility to fire.

To learn more about communities affected by destructive storms, check our piece on “Why Texas Keeps Ignoring Disaster Preparedness - Despite Facing the Worst.

Hurricanes: More Intense, Slower, and More Damaging

Hurricanes have always represented some of the strongest forces of nature, but scientists are seeing troubling signs. Warmer ocean waters - and climate change - provide storms with more energy resulting in stronger and wetter storms. With sea levels rising, storm surges are moving further inland meaning greater and greater flooding.

Another trend is that some hurricanes are moving even slower. Instead of moving through, they hover over cities and coastlines for long periods of time dumping ridiculously large quantities of water. This was evident when hurricane Harvey stalled in 2017 and dumped torrential rain on Texas causing catastrophic flooding.

The number of hurricanes is no greater now than it has been in the past. The intensity and the potential for destruction has, however, risen tremendously. Hurricanes today more thoroughly destroy economies and affect more people than they did decades ago - largely because coastal populations have grown significantly.

The Role of Climate Change

When we see subsequent climate crises- floods, fires, hurricanes- one constant is climate change. A warmer world is not just hotter summers. It disrupts entire weather systems.

• A warmer air contains more moisture, thus increasing the amount of rain, or amount of severe flooding.
• Above average temperatures mean hotter, dryer conditions. These conditions create tinderbox like environments for grasslands and forests; thus creating higher intensity firefighters when wildfire does occur.
• Rising sea levels and warmer oceans means hurricanes are compelled to be more powerful and longer-reaching.

The experts agree while natural disasters have always existed, anthropogenic climate change has simply intensified many of them with more extreme patterns and its more frequent. Ergo, we experience not only natural disasters but the reality of the consequences of our interaction with this world .

You can connect this with our article “Climate Crisis in Africa 2025 - Floods, Heatwaves, and Food Crisis” to see how climate shifts intensify disasters worldwide.

Conclusion

Are floods, wildfires and hurricanes getting worse? Well - yes and no. Much like the sun rises and sets each day, cycle-wise, they came and went from the Earthīd natural calendar. What acts ever so dangerously to their population and urbanization parameters now is what exacerbates the impact each time. Perpetually flooding these events in the media, from news to social media, has grown in recent times awareness about every such calamity, thereby evoking a feeling of them actually happening all the time.

Somewhere in the middle of wanting both worlds: we are seeing stronger disasters than ever before, yet simultaneously more often than we want. The big question now is not whether they are worse but accepting the risks and preparing for the future. With better planning instead of urban sprawl, sustainable development so our cities can cope with nature ushering its strong winds, and a good dose of cooperation, we can lessen the impact and provide some structure for these communities to absorb such extremes of nature.