Rebecca Hersher
@rhersher.bsky.social
Climate reporting & other stuff for @NPR https://www.npr.org/people/384067907/rebecca-hersher
Signal: rhersher.01
📧: rhersher@npr.org
☎︎: 202-845-3931
Signal: rhersher.01
📧: rhersher@npr.org
☎︎: 202-845-3931
Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of #HurricaneKatrina making landfall.
This week, the Trump administration suspended #FEMA employees who warned that the agency is not ready to respond to a disaster like Katrina.
www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n... @npr.org
This week, the Trump administration suspended #FEMA employees who warned that the agency is not ready to respond to a disaster like Katrina.
www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n... @npr.org
Hurricane Katrina forced changes at FEMA. Trump is rolling them back
The government's colossal failure to respond after Hurricane Katrina led to major reforms at the nation's top disaster agency. Now, the Trump administration has reversed some of those changes.
www.npr.org
August 28, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of #HurricaneKatrina making landfall.
This week, the Trump administration suspended #FEMA employees who warned that the agency is not ready to respond to a disaster like Katrina.
www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n... @npr.org
This week, the Trump administration suspended #FEMA employees who warned that the agency is not ready to respond to a disaster like Katrina.
www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n... @npr.org
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
That assertion conflicts with NASA's charter from Congress in 1958, which specified that one of the core objectives of the agency is "the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space."
(referencing @rhersher.bsky.social @afreedma.bsky.social @sciguyspace.bsky.social) 3/
(referencing @rhersher.bsky.social @afreedma.bsky.social @sciguyspace.bsky.social) 3/
August 17, 2025 at 3:35 PM
That assertion conflicts with NASA's charter from Congress in 1958, which specified that one of the core objectives of the agency is "the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space."
(referencing @rhersher.bsky.social @afreedma.bsky.social @sciguyspace.bsky.social) 3/
(referencing @rhersher.bsky.social @afreedma.bsky.social @sciguyspace.bsky.social) 3/
EXCLUSIVE: Funding for #FEMA call centers lapsed the day after the #Texas floods, and approximately 40,000 calls from survivors went unanswered, according to federal records.
The records appear to contradict statements FEMA's leader made to Congress.
Read more here: www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
The records appear to contradict statements FEMA's leader made to Congress.
Read more here: www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
DHS took 5 days to fund Texas flooding hotline, federal records show
Funding for FEMA's disaster survivor hotline lapsed the day after the Texas floods, federal records show. It took DHS Secretary Kristi Noem five days to approve more money.
www.npr.org
August 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
EXCLUSIVE: Funding for #FEMA call centers lapsed the day after the #Texas floods, and approximately 40,000 calls from survivors went unanswered, according to federal records.
The records appear to contradict statements FEMA's leader made to Congress.
Read more here: www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
The records appear to contradict statements FEMA's leader made to Congress.
Read more here: www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
"In the week after floods tore through Texas Hill Country, most survivors were unable to get through to a federal aid hotline because the Department of Homeland Security let funding lapse" - from my @npr.org Climate Desk colleague @rhersher.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
DHS took 5 days to fund Texas flooding hotline, federal records show
Funding for FEMA's disaster survivor hotline lapsed the day after the Texas floods, federal records show. It took DHS Secretary Kristi Noem five days to approve more money.
www.npr.org
August 7, 2025 at 11:40 AM
"In the week after floods tore through Texas Hill Country, most survivors were unable to get through to a federal aid hotline because the Department of Homeland Security let funding lapse" - from my @npr.org Climate Desk colleague @rhersher.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Plans are being made to shut down the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases -- new reporting from my colleague Rebecca Hersher @rhersher.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
www.npr.org
August 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Plans are being made to shut down the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases -- new reporting from my colleague Rebecca Hersher @rhersher.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Exclusive: The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
n.pr
August 4, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Exclusive: The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.
In reversal, Defense Department will continue providing crucial satellite weather data
About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.
n.pr
July 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.
Can sirens help save lives during flash floods?
Yes. But they're not a silver bullet.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/11/n...
Yes. But they're not a silver bullet.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/11/n...
How flood sirens could have saved lives in Texas
In the wake of the deadly flash floods in Texas, state leaders are exploring whether to install more flood warning sirens. Such sirens can save lives if they're part of a larger warning system.
www.npr.org
July 11, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Can sirens help save lives during flash floods?
Yes. But they're not a silver bullet.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/11/n...
Yes. But they're not a silver bullet.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/11/n...
Texas leaders are relying on FEMA money to respond to the floods. They're also working on plans to eliminate the agency as it currently exists.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/09/n...
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/09/n...
Texas is relying on FEMA. State leaders said it should be cut
The governor and top emergency official in Texas are both members of a council advising the Trump administration on options for eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
www.npr.org
July 10, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Texas leaders are relying on FEMA money to respond to the floods. They're also working on plans to eliminate the agency as it currently exists.
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/09/n...
My story here: www.npr.org/2025/07/09/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
The deadly floods in Central Texas were caused by extremely heavy rain. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
By @rhersher.bsky.social and @lsommer.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social and @lsommer.bsky.social
Floods are getting more dangerous around the country, not just in Texas
The deadly floods in Central Texas were caused by extremely heavy rain. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
n.pr
July 7, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The deadly floods in Central Texas were caused by extremely heavy rain. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
By @rhersher.bsky.social and @lsommer.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social and @lsommer.bsky.social
The Trump administration took down the website for the top climate info source for the U.S.
But you can still access it!
Details here: www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
But you can still access it!
Details here: www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
The White House took down the nation's top climate report. You can still find it here
The National Climate Assessment is the most influential source of information about climate change in the United States.
www.npr.org
July 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
The Trump administration took down the website for the top climate info source for the U.S.
But you can still access it!
Details here: www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
But you can still access it!
Details here: www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Here is the web archive version of NCA5: web.archive.org/web/20250626...
Fifth National Climate Assessment
The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the sc...
web.archive.org
June 30, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Here is the web archive version of NCA5: web.archive.org/web/20250626...
PSA: Looking for the latest sea level information for the U.S.? This is the site you want: earth.gov/sealevel/us
(The sealevel.globalchange.gov site used to be a reliable source, but it's unclear what the future holds for that site under the Trump administration.)
(The sealevel.globalchange.gov site used to be a reliable source, but it's unclear what the future holds for that site under the Trump administration.)
Home – U.S. Sea Level Change
Access federally-supported data visualizations and resources on regional sea level changes and sea level rise in the U.S.
earth.gov
June 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
PSA: Looking for the latest sea level information for the U.S.? This is the site you want: earth.gov/sealevel/us
(The sealevel.globalchange.gov site used to be a reliable source, but it's unclear what the future holds for that site under the Trump administration.)
(The sealevel.globalchange.gov site used to be a reliable source, but it's unclear what the future holds for that site under the Trump administration.)
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Tonight could be DC's first low of 80-plus this year. Used to be rare ... 31 from 1872 to 2009. Since 2010? 42!
Oppressive overnight readings make heat waves considerably more dangerous. Seek AC, check on vulnerable.
Forecast updates at cwg.live.
Oppressive overnight readings make heat waves considerably more dangerous. Seek AC, check on vulnerable.
Forecast updates at cwg.live.
June 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Tonight could be DC's first low of 80-plus this year. Used to be rare ... 31 from 1872 to 2009. Since 2010? 42!
Oppressive overnight readings make heat waves considerably more dangerous. Seek AC, check on vulnerable.
Forecast updates at cwg.live.
Oppressive overnight readings make heat waves considerably more dangerous. Seek AC, check on vulnerable.
Forecast updates at cwg.live.
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
What do you love about New Orleans? Whether you left the Louisiana or stayed after Katrina, we want to hear from you.
What did you leave behind—and what did you carry with you?
Visit wwno.org/loveletters and tell us what the city means to you, then and now.
What did you leave behind—and what did you carry with you?
Visit wwno.org/loveletters and tell us what the city means to you, then and now.
wwno.org
June 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM
What do you love about New Orleans? Whether you left the Louisiana or stayed after Katrina, we want to hear from you.
What did you leave behind—and what did you carry with you?
Visit wwno.org/loveletters and tell us what the city means to you, then and now.
What did you leave behind—and what did you carry with you?
Visit wwno.org/loveletters and tell us what the city means to you, then and now.
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Climate.gov is the main source of timely climate-related information for the public. It will stop publishing new information because the Trump administration laid off everyone who worked on it.
A popular climate website will be hobbled, after Trump administration eliminates entire staff
Climate.gov is the main source of timely climate-related information for the public. It will stop publishing new information because the Trump administration laid off everyone who worked on it.
n.pr
June 12, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Climate.gov is the main source of timely climate-related information for the public. It will stop publishing new information because the Trump administration laid off everyone who worked on it.
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
ATTN: Investigative Journos in PA, NJ, DE, MD
@propublica.org has just opened up applications for its next round of Local Reporting Network partners!
If you've got an accountability project that you've been aching to do but haven't had the time or resources, here's your chance.
Deadline 7/21.
@propublica.org has just opened up applications for its next round of Local Reporting Network partners!
If you've got an accountability project that you've been aching to do but haven't had the time or resources, here's your chance.
Deadline 7/21.
How to Apply
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
www.propublica.org
June 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM
ATTN: Investigative Journos in PA, NJ, DE, MD
@propublica.org has just opened up applications for its next round of Local Reporting Network partners!
If you've got an accountability project that you've been aching to do but haven't had the time or resources, here's your chance.
Deadline 7/21.
@propublica.org has just opened up applications for its next round of Local Reporting Network partners!
If you've got an accountability project that you've been aching to do but haven't had the time or resources, here's your chance.
Deadline 7/21.
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Investments that help communities endure more extreme weather are "a path to keep insurance available," says Dave Jones, director of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley Law. “But the insurers need to account for it in their modeling. They're not."
Protecting your home from disaster might not help you get insurance
Insurance costs are soaring, and coverage is hard to find in some parts of the United States. Communities say insurers are ignoring their efforts to confront the problem.
www.npr.org
June 12, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Investments that help communities endure more extreme weather are "a path to keep insurance available," says Dave Jones, director of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley Law. “But the insurers need to account for it in their modeling. They're not."
If your house *almost* washed away in a hurricane, what would you do next?
"My whole neighborhood got trashed. It was like an act of God that this house didn't, and I wasn't going to take that for granted, right?"
Story here: www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n... @sophia-schmidt.bsky.social @whyy.org
"My whole neighborhood got trashed. It was like an act of God that this house didn't, and I wasn't going to take that for granted, right?"
Story here: www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n... @sophia-schmidt.bsky.social @whyy.org
Homes are increasingly at risk from floods. Elevation can help
Climate change is raising the risk of dangerous flooding, especially in coastal communities. For some towns on the Jersey Shore, the most practical solution is raising homes off the ground.
www.npr.org
June 10, 2025 at 1:37 PM
If your house *almost* washed away in a hurricane, what would you do next?
"My whole neighborhood got trashed. It was like an act of God that this house didn't, and I wasn't going to take that for granted, right?"
Story here: www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n... @sophia-schmidt.bsky.social @whyy.org
"My whole neighborhood got trashed. It was like an act of God that this house didn't, and I wasn't going to take that for granted, right?"
Story here: www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n... @sophia-schmidt.bsky.social @whyy.org
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Was happy to speak with Rebecca Hersher at @npr.org about reforms to #FEMA that have been circling. FEMA was not perfect but it was heading in the right direction. Now it's being pushed off a cliff.
#FEMA has a long history of failing to help the most vulnerable disaster survivors. Under the Biden administration, the agency was starting to fix those problems. Now, those reforms are in jeopardy. www.npr.org/2025/06/05/n...
FEMA was starting to fix long-standing problems. Then came the Trump administration
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a long history of failing to help those who need assistance the most after disasters. Biden-era changes meant to fix some of those problems now face an unce...
www.npr.org
June 5, 2025 at 8:29 PM
#FEMA has a long history of failing to help the most vulnerable disaster survivors. Under the Biden administration, the agency was starting to fix those problems. Now, those reforms are in jeopardy. www.npr.org/2025/06/05/n...
FEMA was starting to fix long-standing problems. Then came the Trump administration
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a long history of failing to help those who need assistance the most after disasters. Biden-era changes meant to fix some of those problems now face an unce...
www.npr.org
June 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
#FEMA has a long history of failing to help the most vulnerable disaster survivors. Under the Biden administration, the agency was starting to fix those problems. Now, those reforms are in jeopardy. www.npr.org/2025/06/05/n...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Our study just out in Nature: the extreme North Atlantic heat in summer 2023 was mainly due to weak winds causing shallow mixed layers, which heat up more quickly.
Global warming is causing a trend toward shallow mixed layers, making such extremes more likely.
🌊
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Global warming is causing a trend toward shallow mixed layers, making such extremes more likely.
🌊
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Drivers of the extreme North Atlantic marine heatwave during 2023 - Nature
Atmospheric reanalyses combined with ocean observations and model simulations show that the extreme 2023 North Atlantic heatwave was primarily driven by anomalously weak winds leading to strongly shoa...
www.nature.com
June 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Our study just out in Nature: the extreme North Atlantic heat in summer 2023 was mainly due to weak winds causing shallow mixed layers, which heat up more quickly.
Global warming is causing a trend toward shallow mixed layers, making such extremes more likely.
🌊
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Global warming is causing a trend toward shallow mixed layers, making such extremes more likely.
🌊
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Forecasters expect 13 to 19 storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and the end of November. At least 6 of those are forecast to be full-blown hurricanes.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Forecasters predict above-average hurricane season again
Forecasters expect 13 to 19 storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and the end of November. At least 6 of those are forecast to be full-blown hurricanes.
www.npr.org
May 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Forecasters expect 13 to 19 storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and the end of November. At least 6 of those are forecast to be full-blown hurricanes.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Where does your weather forecast come from?
Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
www.npr.org
May 19, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
By @rhersher.bsky.social
By @rhersher.bsky.social
Reposted by Rebecca Hersher
NEW: US weather forecasting is in worse shape than previously known, with 30 NWS forecast offices missing meteorologists-in-charge and about a dozen offices at risk of no longer serving their communities 24/7. www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...
US weather forecasting is more crippled than previously thought as hurricane season nears | CNN
Several current and former agency meteorologists and staff told CNN they are concerned warnings won’t be issued in time as hurricane season nears.
www.cnn.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
NEW: US weather forecasting is in worse shape than previously known, with 30 NWS forecast offices missing meteorologists-in-charge and about a dozen offices at risk of no longer serving their communities 24/7. www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...