After Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans in 2021, Kirt Talamo, a fourth-generation Louisianan, decided it was time to go. He sold his flooded home, purchased his grandmother’s former house on New Orleans’ west bank, which hadn’t flooded, and moved in. It felt good to be back within its familiar walls, but his mind was on the future.
“My other house wasn’t supposed to flood, and now insurance costs are going through the roof; it’s bad,” he told us. “I wanted to keep my grandma’s place in the family, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay. I’d love to, but it’s unsustainable.”
This 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters predict 12 to 17 storms will make the official alphabetized list of named events, with three to five of those becoming major hurricanes. If recent history is a guide, those that hit U.S. soil will trigger presidential declarations of disaster, bringing large sums of taxpayer money to affected communities.
