I went to North Carolina. My car is now a swimming pool.

According to the staff at a major international hotel where I stayed in Wilmington, North Carolina, it was entirely my fault that a river joined me in my poor little Subaru. Turns out I hadn’t adequately prepared for the possibility of a freshwater swimming pool in my car.

I was in town to report record-breaking flood. Carolina Beach is abandoned…21 inches of rain— and apparently not content to stay put, the Cape Fear River flowed into the streets of Wilmington. scientists We attribute this to climate change It stems from society’s relentless dependence on fossil fuels.

Here’s the science: Warmer air holds more moisture, so when it rains, it really rains. The kind of rain that makes you wonder if you should sell your car and buy a boat.

private companies make a crazy profit this is from oil and gas addiction but apparently increasingly less likely to take responsibility when it causes damage to us or our property.

Thinking it was the responsible thing to do, I paid to park in the hotel’s then-dry parking lot. The hotel said it had signs warning of the potential for flooding. Yes, there were two. But they weren’t visible at night, and I’m not an owl.

The hotel should have stated that the river might decide to check out the inside of my car for a while. 1000 year rain event. They began to ignore my complaints, including that there was no coffee even though there was a coffee machine in my room. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know…

In this period when we are faced with the increasingly wild behavior of nature, there is a hot sudden event (floods). forest fires, drought, hurricanes, poverty, illnessand all that fun stuff – companies won’t be footing the bill. The more we pay, the more the pleasure will be ours home insurance, foodtaxes, infrastructure and just about anything else you can think of.

So how do we prepare for disaster?

This week on The Meltdown, we explore how technology can help us weather the effects of Hurricane Helene and other climate disasters.

Hurricane Helene

Like Hurricane Helene With the barrel heading into Florida’s panhandle and South Georgia, where it’s expected to hit as a Category 4 Friday night, the clock is ticking for residents to prepare and prepare. I’m evacuating. Many Gulf Coast natives have hurricane survival strategies; They store canned food, flashlights, gas and gas. caring for these precious pets— There are some useful tech tools that can make a big difference, even at the last minute.

First, weather apps like NOAA and AccuWeather can provide real-time updates on the storm’s path, wind speeds, and precipitation forecasts from your phone. Emergency alerts from FEMA or local government platforms that provide critical information about evacuation orders and other safety alerts are another must. If the power goes out, backup batteries or portable solar chargers can keep your essential devices running.

But there is much more technology that can help; everything from GPS apps for evacuation routes to smart home devices that remotely monitor floods.

Want to know how electric vehicles or drones can help with your hurricane preparedness?

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What do the numbers say?

18 inch: amount rainfall forecast When Hurricane Helene makes landfall, it will make landfall in the Appalachian region.

20 feet: height storm surge expected From Hurricane Helene.

835 megawatts: strength created on reboot Nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island to power Microsoft’s AI operations. This is enough to power 700,000 homes every day.

Z: the climate action class It was given to major greenhouse gas emitters by John Kerry, the president’s special envoy for climate, at a major climate summit in New York earlier this week.

250: Number of workers who will be part of President Biden environmental justice organization It launched on Wednesday.

Climate change is unpredictable

And as I sit here, drying both my Subaru and my pride, I can’t help but think: If only the hotel staff had warned me that their parking lot was moonlit like a riverbed, I might have had time to invest. a boat.

But at least now I’m better prepared for the next 1000-year storm. Until then, I’ll be keeping an eye on Hurricane Helene and my weather app, because it turns out the only thing more unpredictable than a river in your car is climate change. Stay dry and safe.

Thanks for reading The Meltdown. Please sign up, share and be nice to people. Send environmental and climate tips to: [email protected]

See you next week.

Chris Haress