PBS Terra explains why 'America’s Disaster-Free Zone Has a Dark Secret'

Today's "evergreen educational entry I can share in July" features Weathered on PBS Terra explaining why America’s Disaster-Free Zone Has a Dark Secret.

When you look at Federally declared disasters across the U.S., there’s a surprising blank spot in the Southwest region. What’s up with that? Is the Southwest really a safe haven from natural disasters? Or is there a more sinister explanation for this giant hole in the map? On this episode of Weathered, we talk to the folks who made this map, and some of the world’s leading experts on climate risk to find out what’s really going on.

My wife and I watched this video together on the big-screen TV in our bedroom. I guessed the lack of natural disasters in the American Southwest was because there aren't a lot of people there and that the dark secret was the heat. The first guess wasn't true; the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ MSA has an estimated population of 5,228,938 while the Las Vegas–Henderson–North Las Vegas, NV MSA has an estimated population of 2,407,226.

The second guess was dead on. That's no surprise, as I blogged about Phoenix being the hottest city in the U.S. in 2021 and mentioned its record heat in 2023 twice. What is surprising is that heat waves don't count as federal natural disasters covered by FEMA. The commenters found the reason dismaying: "You don't get disaster declarations for mortality. You only do it for economics." Ecurewitz responded "That’s the most American statement ever." RandomAngle9 commented "The fact that heat doesn't 'qualify' as a disaster because it doesn't destroy buildings, only people, says everything about how we value human life in policy." Speaking of policy, Florida banning municipalities from protecting workers from heat shows that DeSantis wasn't only bad on COVID-19. He and the rest of the Republicans on Florida are bad on climate and weather, too.

While the lack of natural disasters in the American Southwest exists because of a flaw in the criteria for disaster declarations, the lack of natural disasters in and around Michigan is real. As I wrote in 2022, "Michigan is currently the safest state in the Union for natural disasters..." This gives me another opportunity to tout the Great Lakes State as a climate haven.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a string of holidays, Juneteenth, American Eagle Day, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day 2025, Father's Day, World Rainforest Day, and Detroit-style Pizza Day. I love holidays!