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From This Collection

What budget cuts would mean for predicting storms like Irma

Sep 8, 2017
High-resolution satellite images are critical tools for meteorologists, but proposed cuts to the weather service could put them at risk.
Hurricane Irma approaches Anguilla on Sept. 6 in this GOES-16 satellite image.
NOAA

Why disaster recovery is a long, slow process

Sep 7, 2017
When the storm has passed, local agencies step in to help survivors rebuild.
Justin Davison pulls a trash bag full of flood-damaged items to a trash pile today as he helps a friend clean out his flooded home in Richwood, Texas.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A hurricane like Irma could cause serious damage in Tampa Bay

Sep 6, 2017
Darryl Fears discusses his piece for the Washington Post, "Tampa's Coming Storm."
Residents work together to fill sandbags for each other at Bobby Hicks Park as residents prepare for Hurricane Irma on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida. 
Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Is tying Harvey disaster relief to the debt ceiling opportunistic?

Linking the two could make raising the debt limit more palatable to Congress, but it puts off a painful conversation about spending cuts.
 Rain from Hurricane Harvey falls on a Texas and U.S. flag on Aug. 26, 2017, in Texas City, Texas.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Their homes escaped flooding, but the fear lingers

Sep 1, 2017
"Everyone becomes on edge when you hear any type of heavy rainfall," a Louisiana homeowner says.
A flooded street in Cypress, Texas, northwest of Houston.
Courtesy of Marcy Matyas

Economists don't think price gouging is a problem. But what about our social values?

Sep 1, 2017
High prices limit hording and increase supply. But that's bad for business, one expert argues.
People wait in line to buy water at the Coastal Industrial and Specialty gas welding supplies store yesterday after the water supply to the city of Beaumont, Texas, was shut down from the effects of Hurricane Harvey.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

After Harvey, Houston's faith community develops plans for aid

Sep 1, 2017
Local congregations know the neighborhoods and have a built-in system for collecting and distributing donations.
A flooded street is seen after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 31, 2017 in Port Arthur, Texas. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Where does your donation dollar really go?

Sep 1, 2017
There's a journey between your pocket and the people in need — and a few pit stops along the way.
Sarah Menendez/Marketplace

Fires at flooded Arkema chemical plant in Texas worry residents

Aug 31, 2017
“I’m just worrying about what we’re gonna be breathing,” one local resident told us.
A Harris County Sheriff vehicle blocks access on the Crosby Dayton Road which leads towards the Arkema Chemical Plant in Crosby, Texas on August 31, 2017.
MANDEL NGAN / Getty Images

Crowdfunding is playing a larger role in disaster relief

Aug 31, 2017
With more options for giving, donors are urged to do their research.
Volunteers get a briefing on Monday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, where the American Red Cross is housing victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images