ECO-ANXIETY & THE TORNADO OUTBREAK
Mayfield, Kentucky: 1888–89 courthouse after an F4 tornado cut a 230+mile oath across southwestern Kentucky on December 10, 2021. This image is from drone footage shot by KY State Senator Whitney Westerfield. (Photo: Jimmy Emerson, DVM)
The catastrophic, deadly tornado outbreak that occurred on December 10, 2021, struck at night. When the sun came up the next morning, the destruction left behind was almost inconceivable. Preliminary storm survey reports from the National Weather Service indicate one long-track tornado traveled 128 continuous miles across several states, with estimated peak winds from 158 - 206 mph. Homes and buildings were completely demolished, trees were uprooted, and tragically over 75 lives were lost.
December tornadoes are not unheard of, but the size and scope of this outbreak prompted the question of whether this event can be linked to climate change. Scientists say research analyzing the impact of climate change on tornadoes is nuanced and still evolving. Meteorologist and journalist Bob Henson explained in Yale Climate Connections, “Fortunately, human-warmed climate isn’t making violent U.S. tornadoes any more frequent. However, climate change may be involved in some noteworthy recent shifts in the location and seasonal timing of the tornado threat.”
Climate change has been linked with other types of extreme weather. For those with eco-anxiety, a term described by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as the “chronic fear of environmental doom,” viewing images and watching media reports of any type of weather-related destruction can trigger agitation. Twenty-year-old climate justice activist Madison Sheppard posited on Twitter in the days that followed the tornado outbreak, “My heart hurts, it’s heavy. I can’t imagine how the communities and families affected by the recent tornado tragedies feel.”
Madison Sheppard, 20, Climate Justice Activist:
“Watching the earth die in front of you is a terrifying feeling. Climate Change isn’t a future issue… it’s a NOW issue…”
Madison describes her eco-anxiety manifests into physical symptoms: body shakes, racing heartbeats, feeling faint, and sometimes and crying. After a close call with a tornado warning near her home in Maine, she was hospitalized due to her anxiety. “I am not afraid to talk about this because I know others have been where I am. It feels like you fell into the deep end of the pool, and suddenly the world is ending.” A 2021 global survey of 10,000 young people between the ages of 16-25 around the world shows that more than 56% believe that “humanity is doomed.”
Eco-anxiety isn’t just experienced by Gen Z. Christa Carignan says she’s been concerned about environmental issues for over 30 years. But it wasn’t till this year, 2021, that she Googled "how to deal with eco-anxiety." Christa was searching for more information on coping with feelings of fear, sadness, and even anger at times - for the lack of action on fighting climate change. “Not enough people care to take meaningful action to draw down carbon emissions. “ she says. “I think about climate change and how it is going to play out from here on forward. I worry about how my husband and I are going to cope in our retirement years.”
A recent APA poll found that more than half of respondents were somewhat or extremely anxious about the effects of climate change on their own mental health. Psychotherapist Linda Buzzell teaches other therapists and psychology students at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California, techniques in addressing patients’ eco-anxiety. She advises practitioners to listen carefully to the experiences people are having and not minimize or diminish the accuracy of their perceptions or the validity of their emotions. Climate change is a “collective threat to all of us,” she says. “Only if eco-anxiety retriggers an underlying anxiety disorder or earlier trauma is it appropriate to fall back on our usual treatment methods plus a prescription for nature-connection work or outdoor therapy.” Buzzell is also an ecotherapist, a practice that emphasizes the relationship between people and the outdoors.
Spending time in nature has been therapeutic for Christa. She says her Maryland garden gives her comfort and peace in uncertain times. “I think of my garden as a little space where I can make a positive change in this world -- I am planting trees, native plants for pollinators and birds, growing food for me in my husband, sharing plants and flowers with my neighbors, and making art inspired by my garden. These things bring me joy.”
Madison’s work as a core member of the Maine Youth for Climate Justice (MYCJ) and other organizations has helped her counteract her feelings of hopelessness, She says she’s found working with other young people who share her goals to fight for bold climate action helps her to take the physical edge off her anxiety.
The Climate Psychiatry Alliance and the Climate Psychology Alliance offer additional resources on coping with eco-anxiety, including information on finding climate-aware therapists in your community.
Natural Disasters & Mental Health
You may have heard that bad things happen in threes. In 2020 and through the first part of this year - the pandemic would likely top any recent list of devastating events. But for the residents of one Louisiana community, anguish extended beyond a trifecta of misfortune. Over the past ten months, Lake Charles, the state’s fifth-largest city with a population of around 78,000, has endured an unprecedented and relentless series of devastating natural disasters.
Extreme weather, which is becoming more frequent due to climate change, can have lasting effects on mental health. Researchers say these impacts are expected to increase as more people experience the stress—and often trauma—of these disasters.
Hurricane Laura NOAA GOES EAST 8-27-20
Extreme weather, which is becoming more frequent due to climate change, can have lasting effects on mental health. Researchers say these impacts are expected to increase as more people experience the stress—and often trauma—of these disasters.
In August of 2020, Lake Charles, Louisiana endured the wrath of one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall in the area, Hurricane Laura. The fierce winds of the monster storm decimated buildings, destroyed homes, and left tens of thousands without power. The Louisiana Department of Health reported that 31 of the state's residents lost their lives.
Just six weeks later, the massive recovery efforts in Laura’s wake came to a grinding halt. Another hurricane, Delta, made landfall on Gulf Coast, about 30 miles south of Lake Charles. For the beleaguered residents of Southwest Louisiana, this was an extraordinary one-two punch.
Hurricane season was finally over on November 30th. Climatologically, winters in the region are less troublesome as they are typically brief and relatively mild. In February 2021, though, a rare deep freeze plunged Lake Charles’ low temperatures down to record, brutal levels in the teens. The air got so cold, so fast, that pipes burst in thousands of residents’ homes. That led to the city issuing a “boil water” advisory that lasted a week.
In May 2021, extreme weather roared back to the region in the form of catastrophic flooding. The National Weather Service reported Southwest Louisiana received 12 to 15 inches over the course of just 12 hours on May 17th. The deep water-covered streets were undrivable, forcing some parents to pick their children up from school by kayak.
Now that summer is here, there's a different threat looming. June marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. KPLC-TV in Lake Charles reports that the prospect has some people on edge. Local health care workers “are seeing an increase in anxiety-driven hospital visits.” After an unprecedented year of non-stop floods and storms, many are fearing what could be next.
Talking about the impacts natural disasters pose on mental health and individual well-being is timely for another reason. June is also National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month - intended to raise public awareness about issues related to PTSD.
According to mental health experts, PTSD is an “anxiety problem that develops in some people after extremely traumatic events, such as combat, crime, an accident or a natural disaster.” For those suffering from PTSD, symptoms can include intrusive flashbacks, appetite changes, and sleepless nights.
The connection between natural disasters and mental health is currently being examined by psychiatrists and scientists. The authors of one study say the increase of climate-driven storms brings a greater likelihood of mental health consequences impacting a larger number of people. The research indicates that in many instances, storms can do “more widespread damage to minds than to bodies.”
In my upcoming book: Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It, scheduled for publication by Simon and Schuster this November, I go into more detail on PTSD and Natural Disasters - including advice from leading experts and new, effective ways to cope.
Note from Bonnie Schneider: I also want to mention that as a former resident of Lake Charles myself, (many years ago I was a meteorologist for KPLC-TV), I’ve long admired the strength and resilience of the people of Louisiana. As for what’s next in the forecast? The 2021 Hurricane Season is projected to be “above average” for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. The tropics are already teeming with activity. Make sure you prepare and stay safe.
Bonnie Schneider is a national television meteorologist and author of the book Extreme Weather, published by Macmillan. Her second book, Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It, scheduled for publication by Simon & Schuster in January 2022. Bonnie has over 260k followers on social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
"Meteorological Spring," which is derived from average temperature cycles over the course of three months, began on March 1st. "Astronomical Spring," which is based on the Vernal Equinox, occurring when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal, will begin on Thursday, March 19th.
But according to Climate Central, looking back over the past few decades, spring is arriving earlier nationally due to #climatechange. Tracking the dates when first blooms occur following winter's thaw, referred to as "leaf out," their analysis found that since 1981, spring's "leaf out is happening earlier in 76% (181) of the 239 cities" they analyzed across the U.S.
#Health consequences of an earlier spring include potentially longer and stronger #allergy seasons, and an increased window of opportunity for mosquitoes and ticks to transmit #infectious pathogens to humans.
The Asthma Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America reports that pollen season is already starting earlier and ending later than previous seasons: "Between 1995 and 2011, warmer temperatures in the U.S. have caused the pollen season to be 11 to 27 days longer. These warmer temperatures create more pollen in the air, stronger airborne allergens and more allergy symptoms."
According to the CDC, "illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S., with more than 640,000 cases reported during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016."
Catastrophic Flooding in NYC, Climate Change & Health
The deadly deluge of flooding rain yesterday in New York City was catastrophic in its scope of impacts. Preliminary storm totals from the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ida, according to the National Weather Service, include a whopping 7.19” in Central Park.
The latter part of August was already an exceptionally rainy period. Less than two weeks earlier another tropical system, Henri, saturated the city with substantial downpours. On August 22nd, between the hours of 10 and 11 pm, 1.94” of rain was observed at Central Park. At the time, Henri shattered the one-hour rainfall rate record. But for New Yorkers, Ida’s wrath proved to be much worse when it hit on the first day of September.
By the time the remnants of the former Category Four Hurricane IDA advanced on New York, its winds were not the primary threat. It was the relentless rain of the storm that prompted the National Weather Service to issue a rare “Flash Flood Emergency” for New York City.
A “Flash Flood Warning” may sound more familiar. It means dangerous flooding is happening now or will be soon. Flash Flood Emergencies are exceedingly rare and are only issued by the National Weather Service when a “severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon.” This was the first Flash Flood Emergency ever issued for New York City.
Last night’s storm was particularly dangerous not just because of how much total rain fell - but also how fast the rate at which the water came. Remarkably, between 8:51 pm to 9:51 pm, Central Park observed 3.15 inches of rain, the greatest amount in a single hour ever observed in the city, since record-keeping began.
This level of rain intensity spells disaster for urban areas, where there is little grass and vegetation to soak floodwaters into the earth. In the case of New York City - more than 70 percent of its landmass is covered by impervious surfaces - from parking lots to streets, sidewalks to rooftops.
The same thick, grey asphalt and concrete - notorious for holding on to the sun’s heat on sticky summer days has the reverse reaction to water. Rather than absorbing the rainwater, it repels it. Preventing the rain from penetrating its hard surfaces. City streets are designed that way. The objective is to direct water off the roads and into drainage systems to keep traffic running smoothly and pedestrians safe.
But the aging infrastructure of New York, combined with an extraordinary amount of rain rapidly falling at record rates, resulted in urban roads turning into treacherous rivers. In New York City, which has the greatest population density of any major city in the U.S.- over 27,000 people per square mile, this extreme weather event was high impact, destructive, and deadly.
While a Flash Flood Emergency in itself is rare, evidence points to climate change bringing more intense rainstorms and super-charged tropical systems in the future. “The number of weather, climate, and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” says World Meteorological Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas, in a recent report released in conjunction with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
What’s the connection between warmer air and more intense rain? As Climate Signals reports, “for each degree 1°C (1.8°F) of global warming, saturated air contains 7 percent more moisture." The increase in atmospheric moisture content raises the risk of extreme precipitation events.
These climate-related events not only destroy property and disrupt transportation they also can lead to human health threats - some that you may not be aware of.
Anchored in the latest scientific research and filled with relatable first-person stories, my upcoming book, “Taking the Heat: How Climate Change Is Affecting Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and What You Can Do About It,” (Simon & Schuster, January 2022) unlocks the connections between weather, climate change, and health. “Taking the Heat” provides practical tips for you to tackle these challenges in a rapidly changing environment. Available for pre-order now.