Climate change threats to your home

The U.S. government’s comprehensive report on the effects of climate change details challenges for every part of the country.  ​

In the Pacific Northwest, we feel the effects of climate change now. We've seen historic droughts and wildfire seasons, more frequent storms and floods, and searing heat waves that have resulted in nearly a thousand deaths in Oregon and Washington over the last few years. Climate change has revved up and super-sized disasters across all regions of the U.S., making it even more important for communities and individuals to get prepared and for everyone to do what they can to reduce their impact on the environment. ​

According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, in the 1980s, the country saw a billion-dollar disaster every four months on average. Now, there's one billion-dollar disaster every three weeks. 

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The Fifth National Climate Assessment is a comprehensive report that describes the current and future impacts of rising temperatures in the United States; rising seas, major hurricanes, and other disastrous consequences of climate change are felt in every region. In the 1980s, the country saw a billion-dollar disaster every four months on average. Now, there’s one billion-dollar disaster every three weeks, according to the assessment. It's a call to action for each of us to do more and get prepared. ​

Click to open the Fifth National Climate Change Assessment

Climate change impacts by region

The Grist.org published region-by-region guide for climate change threats, based on information in the Fifth National Climate Assessment. The authors, Grist Staff, report that:

• "The Northwest can expect hotter heat waves — and more deaths. ... Extreme heat is worse in formerly redlined neighborhoods like the Albina neighborhood in Portland, where temperatures can reach 13 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the rest of the city."
• "Most of the region’s drinking water has come from melting snow, stored in mountain ranges like the Cascades that run through Washington and Oregon, or the Sawtooth range in Idaho. But warmer winters are turning more snowstorms into rainstorms, leading to destructive floods in the winter and dry rivers in the summer. Glaciers are melting, even atop iconic Mount Rainier."
• "On the coast, rising waters pose problems. The town of Taholah on the Quinault Reservation along Washington’s northwest coast could see the ocean climb as much as 1.2 feet by 2050. The Quinault Indian Nation recently started to move many of its homes and government buildings farther inland. The report warns that the cost and complexity of managed retreat might make it difficult for other coastal communities."​

For more information, read the full article, "How does climate change threaten where you live? A region-by-region guide". ​

The Hooskanaden Landslide, Oregon Coast, Feb 2019. Photo credits: (left) Oregon Department of Transportation

A sign along Interstate 5 north of Eugene, Ore. warns drivers that Highway 126 eastbound is closed due to a wildfire, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in the area as smoke clogs the sky from wildfires burning in the state. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP)

Lionshead fire in Warm Springs Oregon, Aug 2020. Photo Credit: U.S. Forest Service

Click to view the Fifth National Climate Change Assessment

Author

Karen Ronning-Hall, Disaster Preparedness Evangelist and Neighbors Ready! President. Living in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with hubby Bill, daughter Geneva, Bean dog, and Thumper kitty.

Sources & References

    "How does climate change threaten where you live? A region-by-region guide", Grist.org  November 2023. 
     Fifth National Climate Assessment, USGCRP, 2023: Fifth National Climate Assessment: Report-in-Brief. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.RiB​