The ongoing climate crisis has influenced homeowners across the United States to take necessary steps to protect their homes from future disasters.
As the Guardian explained in October, residents in areas prone to extreme weather are proactively exploring ways to disaster-proof their properties in preparation for these events, which have become more frequent and intense due to a warming planet.
For example, Rob Kirsch, who has owned his home in Philadelphia for 12 years, told the publication that an icy storm from a couple of years back that brought down a large tree branch in his driveway caused him to consider spending $10,000 to $20,000 to replace his slate roof before it's destroyed by another storm.
"What we've noticed is the storms seem to be getting more severe," Kirsch said.
He went on to explain that his family "has already spent thousands on air conditioning ($10,000), new top floor windows ($10,000), attic insulation ($4,000), and basement flood-proofing ($10,000), a necessity due to his wife and son's asthma," as the Guardian wrote. However, he pointed out that most families aren't able to take the same steps to protect their homes, some of which have flat asphalt roofs that are susceptible to destructive weather.
"There's a lot of poverty here," Kirsch added. "A lot of people are impacted by not having the [resources] to upgrade their houses in the way they need to."
Rising global temperatures, mostly driven by pollution from dirty fuels, have created conditions that intensify extreme weather like hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and drought.
Other residents who spoke to the Guardian described methods like insulating their homes for refuge from future heat waves, removing debris from yards in case of wildfire, or fortifying their windows to protect from violent hurricanes.
Roxane Rolingson, 71, of Corpus Christi, Texas, told the Guardian she invested about $20,000 in protective stainless-steel screens on all the windows, a method she called "horrendously expensive."
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"I'm a middle-class retired person, so I can afford that. Lots of people [affected by the climate crisis] can't," Rolingson said.
Some residents expressed frustration that others weren't feeling the sense of urgency to reduce their contributions to global heating, like finding ways to limit the use of dirty fuels. Others were upset that their neighbors failed to clean areas that could provide kindling for wildfires.
"It's frustrating because like, I can't control what my neighbors do," Shannon Tucker of Denver told the Guardian. "You kind of feel helpless."
If you're looking to disaster-proof your home, consider upgrading to fire-resistant materials, installing double-pane windows, and ensuring roofs are fortified to withstand wildfires or storms.
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