California knows climate disasters. After tornado outbreak, will red states join the fight?
California is no stranger to rubble. Images of disaster overwhelm us every summer and fall with the advent of fire season, with historic records of death and destruction seemingly topped every year. So the images and stories coming out of Kentucky and other southern and midwestern states this week are not unfamiliar to us. California knows what it’s like to rebuild.
Last Friday, more than 50 tornadoes barreled through as many as nine states in the South and Midwest, killing at least 88 people, with many more still missing. The category of one massive storm that carried winds past 200 miles per hour is still being calculated. This type of warm weather event is rare in December, and due to the fleeting nature of tornadoes, it’s an area of climatology that’s not as well-documented as fires, flooding or sea levels. But it’s clear that climate change concerns all parts of this country, even in areas where it’s still normal or politically advantageous to deny its existence.
California, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee and other states are bound together by the unparalleled effects of our warming atmosphere, but far too often the Golden State is the only one leading climate action in America. The historic nature of such deadly, destructive tornadoes ripping their way across the plains should be a signal to all policymakers that climate-worsened disasters are not exclusive to liberal coasts and clearly do not adhere to state lines. One would think that saving American communities from further destruction would be a bipartisan issue.
Global climate change promises more catastrophic and often unprecedented weather events. From wildfires in California and tornadoes in the Midwest, to flooding on the East Coast and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, the proof is right in front of our eyes.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the tornadoes were at a “level of devastation unlike anything I have ever seen.” The destruction in the South and Midwest was heartbreaking. Here in California, we know the resilience communities show in the wake of tragic natural disaster. The recovery will surely be inspiring, and we hope it also inspires adversarial lawmakers to find common ground and put climate action at the forefront of their political agendas.
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This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 3:28 PM.