December Wrap-Up
Let’s get right into it…
Washington State Flooding - The intensity of the atmospheric river over the Pacific Northwest and historic flooding in Washington State were amplified by climate change.
Photo source: National Weather Service
America’s Aging Infrastructure – December’s atmospheric river over the Pacific Northwest caused several levees to fail, highlighting the need to monitor, strengthen, and adapt the levees system throughout America that were built decades ago. In Michigan, multiple assessments of the State’s dam inventory, which includes more than 1,700 dams aged 50 years or older, have concluded that “stronger safety regulations and increased investment” are necessary to repair or decommission dams that could cause the next disaster.
Congress is struggling to assert their authority over FEMA, which is statutorily required to coordinate the Federal response and deliver post-disaster recovery programs. Internal sources reported on December 31st that FEMA is terminating employment contracts set for renewal in January 2026. Within the DHS Spending Bill report, Congressional Republicans asserted (among other things) that “FEMA shall not reduce staffing in such a way that it lacks sufficient staff to issue guidance, provide payments, and provide technical assistance and operational support to grantees in a timely manner”. Congress included similar language regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency that continues to operate without a permanent Director.
The final meeting of the FEMA Review Council was abruptly canceled on December 11th, after a draft report suggesting deep cuts to FEMA’s workforce, role, and responsibilities was leaked to the public. Nearly $1B in grants and loans are still waiting for approval from the Secretary of DHS. In North Carolina, several hundred applications for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program were received by FEMA earlier in 2025 and none have yet been approved.
Rising flood insurance premiums have led many of America’s poorest citizens to forgo coverage, researchers showed that those in lower income zip codes were “most likely to drop a flood policy or not pick it up in the first place”, after the cost of premiums was adjusted upward in 2021. Journal of Catastrophe Risk and Resilience
Record-breaking snowfall - On December 30th, 24 inches of snow fell in Syracuse NY ranking as the second-highest snowfall total for one day in its history. The December snowfall total for Syracuse was more than 60 inches.
The need for Category 6 Hurricanes (184+ mph) - Recent research shows that specific hot spots in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with notably warmer surface and subsurface water temperatures are expanding in size, leading to a greater likelihood of tropical cyclone formation with windspeeds in excess of 184 mph.
State / Local housing programs - Kudos to Pasco County, FL for launching their “Better Future Individual Housing Program” on December 1st to help residents rebuild or replace homes damaged by multiple hurricanes in from 2023-2024. Applications are being accepted now. Learn more. On a related note, the Urban Institute identified 9 key lessons that recovery officials can take from their case study of Boulder County’s Rebuilding Better program. Check out the full report here.
“A genuinely shocking self-inflicted wound” - The December announcement of plans to dismantle the NCAR climate research center has been met with widespread concern and alarm. Meteorologists and emergency managers caution that this decision will “set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”
Disaster Survivors Beware - When disasters happen, lots of people act quickly to help. But some groups… like organized crime rings… do too, as detailed in this report Exploiting Disaster: Identity Fraud Spikes After Texas Floods. This research reveals the sophisticated tactics used by domestic and international identity fraud networks, and specifically fraudulent federal assistance claims and identity theft that occurred within 72 hours of the July floods in Texas.
New from the GAO - Disaster Assistance High-Risk Series: State and Local Response Capabilities (much more on this later)
What are “human rights”? - Americans, generally, do not understand the concept of human rights, and that’s especially troubling since human rights violations tend to precede mass atrocities.
Public Trust – A shockingly-low percentage of Americans (17%) believe that the government in Washington will do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (15%). This record low represents a 56% drop in public trust since the National Election Study first started tracking this question in 1958. Learn more.
Did You Know? As of December 31st, 2025, the population of the United States is 343,045,519. Accounting for births, deaths (and more) the US nets one new person every 22 seconds.
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