MARIELLE SEGARRA, HOST:

You’re listening to LIFE KIT…

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SEGARRA: …From NPR.

Hey. It’s Marielle. Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1, and it’s hard to process for a lot of people whose communities and homes were wrecked by hurricanes last year in states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. A lot of people are still rebuilding. That’s the case for Jessica Meszaros. She’s a climate and environment reporter at WUSF, the NPR member station in Tampa.

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JESSICA MESZAROS, BYLINE: Will rapidly intensify as it quickly moves towards the Big Bend area, where it’s expected to…

One critical thing people can do to prevent mold buildup after…

Noticed any trends in storms recently, in terms of, like, how frequently they come around or how quick they move?

Does FEMA offer to those impacted by storms – like, what is available to them?

SEGARRA: Last year, during Hurricane Milton, she was working long hours getting people the information they needed ahead of the storm.

MESZAROS: And my fiance and I are spending, you know, two nights in a row staying up till 1 a.m. boarding up the house. And then the floodwaters came in anyways from underneath the house. So needless to say, it was a really exhausting time.

SEGARRA: They were actually some of the lucky ones in Tampa. They had a few inches of rainwater flood their one-story house, but it wasn’t salt water, which can be much more corrosive. Still, rebuilding has been a lot of work. And Jessica doesn’t live right on the water or even in a flood zone.

On this episode of LIFE KIT, how to prepare your home for hurricanes and flooding, two things that climate change is making more intense. I talk with Jessica about what she’s learned from her reporting and her personal experience – specifically, how to know when your home is at risk of flooding, what to do with that information, how to keep your most treasured possessions safe during a storm, and how to rebuild in a way that makes your home less vulnerable. This is part of NPR’s Climate Solutions Week, a series where we examine how to be more resilient in a changing climate.

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SEGARRA: Jessica, what has rebuilding looked like for you and your fiance?

MESZAROS: So we had to pull out the carpets, the vinyl wood floors. We also had to take out some of the drywall. So that’s what our walls are made of, typically. But basically, it’s like a sponge. So whenever water hits it, it soaks up the water. It grows moldy really fast. So we replaced about 3 inches down with Durock, which is like a cement board, instead of the drywall in case it floods again. So mold won’t grow on that. So that’s some of our prevention. And then we had to pull out the wooden baseboards, and right now, we’re replacing them with a PVC baseboard. And again, so if water comes, it won’t rot like it would the wood.

SEGARRA: It’s kind of a lot, considering that you only had a few inches of rainwater.

MESZAROS: Yeah, that gave me a lot of perspective. I’ve been covering hurricanes since 2017. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, so I’ve been going through hurricanes since Andrew in 1992. But, OK, I only had 3 inches, and it was fresh water. The people that I talked to with a foot, 2 feet, 4 feet of salt water in their homes – I mean, it’s completely devastating, and the home has to be almost completely rebuilt from the inside.

SEGARRA: How has hurricane season changed over the years?

MESZAROS: I speak to climatologists and hurricane experts here in Florida, and we’ve had record warm waters recently. And warming waters, especially in the Gulf, are fueling these storms, not only making them stronger, more powerful, but it’s making them wetter and more precipitation. What I have experienced on the ground is, especially, like, more rain.

SEGARRA: Are a lot more people seeing their houses flood during these storms?

MESZAROS: So in 2021, NASA did release a study that showed people across the globe living in flood-prone areas has risen by 20 to 24% since 2000. That is 10 times greater than the number previous models had predicted. It is directly linked to climate change driving this extreme rainfall, rising sea levels, and more intense hurricanes.

And I am seeing it on the ground not only in my reporting, but in my own experience as a homeowner. You know, I have spoken to residents who’ve lived in neighborhoods for three decades or even more, and they never thought that they’d flood, but they experienced a flooding event last year.

SEGARRA: How can you know if your home is at risk for flooding?

MESZAROS: Well, the first thing is you can always check FEMA’s flood zones. There’s maps, you know, at floodsmart.gov. Again, floodsmart.gov. Once you type in your ZIP code, what happens is it’ll tell you about the low or moderate or high flood risk, coastal flooding, the riverine flooding and the hurricane flooding risk.

SEGARRA: OK. And what are some other ways you can get a sense of your risk?

MESZAROS: Honestly, what I wish I would have done myself is, regardless of what it says online, to just ask around the neighbors. Like, I have neighbors here who’ve lived, you know, next door for 30 years, and some people lived in the neighborhood since their grandma, has owned a property in the same street for generations. And so I’m technically not in a flood zone, but my house physically is low-lying on the block. So the homes on my side of the street flooded, but the neighbors across from us didn’t because they’re higher. So I think it just takes, like, asking certain questions when you have an inspector come and look at your house or just kind of eyeing it and saying, OK, like, how does the lawn grade? What does this road look like? And asking people, like, what is the history here? What do you know here? And I think that’s something that I wish I would’ve done.

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SEGARRA: Takeaway one – to get a sense of your home’s risk of flooding, go to floodsmart.gov and put in your ZIP code. If you’re in a high-risk area and you have a government-backed mortgage, you’ll be required to purchase flood insurance. And even if you’re at moderate or low risk, your home could still flood. In fact, more than 40% of National Flood Insurance Program claims are from outside the high-risk areas. So do some investigating. Ask around your neighborhood, consult a home inspector, and look into your home’s history to get a sense of what this hurricane season might mean for you.

Also, keep in mind that most homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage and that flooding can happen anywhere to anyone, not just from hurricanes, but from things like broken water mains and issues at nearby construction sites.

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SEGARRA: If you’re a homeowner and you can afford to modify your home to protect it against floods, what might you do?

MESZAROS: For the people rebuilding after a flood event, if you can afford it, don’t build back the same. Modify your material choices, like instead of drywall, using Durock. Instead of carpet or wood floors, opt for the tile. Some people are raising their electrical outlets so the floodwaters don’t short-circuit the power lines. And instead of installing the same wooden baseboards that will rot when wet, use PVC baseboards.

But I think if you’re just in general trying to protect your home from a storm, you get, like, stormproof windows. Maybe you get roof clips put on, so that basically it clips the roof to the home itself so it won’t just fly away. There’s all kinds of things that you can do. It just – it does cost money.

One person that I spoke to, Steve Papola (ph) – his family has been displaced since Helene. It brought 4 feet of storm surge into his one-story house. It’s about an hour north of Tampa. So just to give you a rough estimate what rebuilding after 4 feet of storm surge looks like, so Steve Papola thinks that it’s about $145,000 altogether for the flooring, the walls, the rebuilding of the kitchen, the electrical rewiring. And thankfully for him, it’s all covered by flood insurance, so he doesn’t have to pay out of pocket for that. He does have to pay out of pocket for being displaced. You know, he’s still paying a mortgage while paying a rent somewhere else while he’s waiting for the construction to be completed.

STEVE PAPOLA: The water is not a game for the middle class or the lower middle class unless you’re going to be able to insure properly and make sure that you have the ability to mitigate whatever type of loss comes with the storms.

MESZAROS: Then again, people are just leaving, too. There’s a lot of for-sale signs going up in neighborhoods that flooded last year along the coast. I went to at least three different counties for my reporting on this, and every neighborhood that I went to specifically to talk to somebody whose house flooded, there were for-sale signs, one after the other, leading up to their home.

SEGARRA: Yeah. I mean, I guess it’s like, if you can afford it, then you leave, but sometimes people can’t.

MESZAROS: Right. And some people are living in unhealthy conditions, you know, in a moldy home. And so there’s some people who are just at health risk, actually, if they’re not able to afford to move or to make any modifications.

SEGARRA: Are there any resources available for folks in that situation?

MESZAROS: FEMA would be. So as soon as a hurricane hits, they do make applications available for some money to help with modifications, to help you to stay in a hotel while you’re displaced so you don’t have to live under those conditions. And then you can also check, you know, states might have some grants as well to help you out.

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SEGARRA: Takeaway two – if you can afford it and you own your home, make some modifications. For instance, wood baseboards will rot when they’re underwater, but PVC baseboards won’t. Tile flooring is preferable to carpet. And consider using Durock, which is a cement board, instead of drywall. Also, move electrical outlets higher if you can.

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SEGARRA: What advice do you have for renters? We’ve been talking a lot about homeowners, but if you’re a renter and you live in an area that gets strong hurricanes and flooding, what can you do?

MESZAROS: Definitely, you have to get flood insurance. Regular renters insurance may not cover what you lose. You know, I know friends of mine, they rented on the ground floor an apartment near Fort Myers Beach, and they lost pretty much everything – their, you know, stuff that can’t even be replaced, you know, like childhood photos and things.

SEGARRA: Are there any best practices for whether you’re a homeowner or you’re a renter and you have important documents, for instance, or childhood photos, things like that, something that you can store them in so they won’t be destroyed?

MESZAROS: Yeah, I know a lot of people that are putting stuff in plastic giant bins, maybe putting them on higher ground if they have an opportunity to put it upstairs. Or you just – you drive it somewhere else. I mean, a lot of this is get to higher ground.

SEGARRA: Well, hurricane season started on June 1. How are folks in Florida feeling?

MESZAROS: There is a lot of anxiety in Florida right now, especially along the Gulf Coast. You know, so many people still rebuilding after back-to-back flooding events. There was Hurricane Debby in August, Helene in September, and then Milton in October. So it was like three months of back-to-back storms that caused flooding in different areas in different ways. As Steve Papola told me, his family is feeling the anxiety.

PAPOLA: My wife is definitely getting anxiety every day that comes. She watches the weather every day of the week. She’s listening to the weatherman intently. She has a lot of anxiety. It’s starting to build up again.

SEGARRA: What do you tell to people who are feeling anxious like this in any sort of hurricane-prone area?

MESZAROS: I’m feeling super anxious, and it’s coming out sideways, I think. You know, there’s a lot of tension in my house because we still haven’t even finished the rebuilding, and so many people are in that position. To not even feel like your home is safe yet, and yet we’re already entering another hurricane season, it’s an unnerving feeling.

And so what I would say is, like, look down at your feet. Look at where you are. Like, just because of whatever happened last year doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen this year. But if it does, like, we’re OK. And so whatever things you can do that are actionable, like the things that we’ve talked about in terms of hurricane preparedness and having your important papers in order, somewhere safe, making sure that whatever you can afford to do to accommodate your home to flooding if you know that it floods, evacuating if you can evacuate, and just holding your loved ones tight – like, that’s all you can really do. And just knowing that, like, whatever you can control, you’re doing it. Everything else, you kind of just have to wait and see, I guess.

SEGARRA: It’s a good life lesson in general.

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SEGARRA: Takeaway three – if you’re a renter, know that standard renters insurance usually doesn’t cover flood damage. Look into flood insurance. And regardless of whether you own your home or rent, you can pack away important documents and sentimental items in a waterproof container and either store it in a high place or take it to higher ground when you evacuate. On that note, always follow the evacuation orders.

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SEGARRA: Jessica, thank you so much for this. I hope that this hurricane season is calm.

MESZAROS: Me too. I hope that the waters are calm and that we have a chance to breathe and to continue rebuilding in our area to make ourselves feel safe and secure at home, ’cause home should feel that way.

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SEGARRA: OK, time for a recap. Look at floodsmart.gov to understand your risk level this hurricane season. You can also ask neighbors and home inspectors and look at your home’s history to see the bigger picture. You might learn important information that you don’t find online. And seriously consider buying flood insurance because homeowners insurance generally doesn’t cover flood damage. Now, if you’re a homeowner and you can afford it, consider modifying your home’s flooring, walls and electrical outlets. If you’re a renter, also seriously consider buying flood insurance on top of your renters insurance. And in general, make sure you store important documents in a waterproof container and keep them in a high up location. And always follow the evacuation orders.

This episode was part of NPR’s Climate Solutions Week, which examines how climate change impacts where and how we build. For more climate solutions, go to npr.org/climatechangeweek (ph).

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SEGARRA: For more LIFE KIT, check out our other episodes. We’ve got one on what to put in your go bag and another on what to do if your house floods. You can find those at npr.org/lifekit. And if you love LIFE KIT and you want even more, subscribe to our newsletter at npr.org/lifekitnewsletter. Also, we love hearing from you. So if you have episode ideas or feedback you want to share, email us at lifekit@npr.org.

This episode of LIFE KIT was produced by Margaret Cirino. It was edited by Sylvie Douglis and Meghan Keane. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan, and our digital editor is Malaka Gharib. Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andee Tagle and Clare Marie Schneider. Engineering support comes from Simon-Laslo Janssen. I’m Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.

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