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Is Climate Change Causing More Dangerous Hurricanes?

The country watched Hurricane Florence pummel communities across the Carolinas this week, leaving flooding, destruction, and death in its path.

This hour we ask New York Times climate reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis--is climate change causing these devastating storms to become more common?

And this week marks a year since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Connecticut Public Radio reporter Ryan Caron King has been covering the storm’s aftermath both on the island and here in Connecticut.

We’ll hear about his new documentary, which airs on Connecticut Public Television Thursday, September 20 at 8 pm.

Later, we take a look back at Connecticut’s worst natural disaster, the Hurricane of 1938. We’ll ask state historian Walt Woodward why was that storm so devastating to New England? And what can we learn from its legacy?

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

  • Kendra Pierre-Louis - Climate reporter for the New York Times (@KendraWrites)
  • Ryan Caron King - Visual reporter with Connecticut Public Radio, and producer of The Island Next Door documentary, which will air CPTV and online September 20 at 8pm (@ryancaronking)
  • Walter Woodward - Connecticut State Historian and associate professor of history at UConn (@waltwould)

READING LIST:

New York Times: [VIDEO] Is Climate Change Making Hurricanes Worse? Yes, Here’s Why (Kendra Pierre-Louis, September 2018) -  “Rising ocean temperatures have fueled some of the most devastating storms in recent years. Kendra Pierre-Louis, a reporter on The New York Times’s climate team, explains how.”

Smithsonian Magazine:  The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 – “By the time the devastation was over, 564 people were dead and more than 1,700 injured, 8,900 homes were completely gone as were 2,600 boats. Trees and buildings damaged by the storm could still be seen by the 1950s.”

Follow Connecticut Public Radio’s continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Connecticut and in Puerto Rico at The Island Next Door.

Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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