
How Americans Think the Government Should Respond to Natural Disasters, According to Recent Polls
But while Americans largely believed the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, an analysis of recent AP-NORC polls shows less consensus about whether the government should be involved in combating climate change to try to keep extreme weather from getting worse.
The polls from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research were conducted in February and June before catastrophic flooding in Texas killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others missing. The polls found that Americans generally had a high level of confidence in the National Weather Service and their local weather report, and most thought the federal government should play a central role in alerting Americans to weather events.
That trust could now be undermined as officials face scrutiny over flood preparations and the timing of alerts and evacuations. Although meteorologists warn that human-caused climate change can make bad storms worse, it's unclear if overall views of climate change–and the government's role in combating it–will be altered.
About two in 10 Americans said they had experienced major flooding in recent years, according to the February poll. And among those, about seven in 10 said climate change was at least a partial cause of the recent weather events they had experienced.
That's in line with the share of Americans who have been affected in the past five years by any severe weather event, including extreme heat, droughts, hurricanes, or extreme cold.
Those living in the Northeast and the South were more likely to say they had been personally impacted by major flooding in recent years.
About seven in 10 Americans believe the federal government should have a major role in tracking weather events and warning people about them, according to AP-NORC polling from June. That includes about eight in 10 Democrats compared with roughly two-thirds of Republicans.
About eight in 10 Americans want the government to provide aid to affected communities and help with rebuilding efforts, the June poll found.
But there was less agreement on whether the government should be combating climate change to try to keep extreme weather from getting worse. Just over fifty-six percent of US adults say the government should have a key role in combating climate change to try to prevent extreme weather from worsening.
Scientists have said climate change has led to frequent and more extreme alterations in weather patterns.
About eight in 10 Democrats say the government should play a major role in fighting climate change compared with about three in 10 Republicans.
Following the disaster, National Weather Service and local officials disagreed about who was ultimately to blame for the lack of awareness about the flood severity.
The AP-NORC polling showed that before the Texas floods, Americans placed a relatively high level of trust in the National Weather Service and their local weather report.
About four in 10 US adults said in the June survey that they were extremely or very confident in the National Weather Service or their local weather provider. Another four in 10 roughly were somewhat confident in the National Weather Service or their local weather report.
Confidence in the Federal Emergency Management Agency was lower. Before the floods, only about two in 10 US adults said they were extremely or very confident in FEMA, while about four in 10 said they were somewhat confident.
The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hundreds Gather at High School Stadium to Honor the Many Lost to Texas Deadly Floods
Several hundred people gathered for a worship ceremony at a high school stadium in Texas on Wednesday evening to remember the at least 120 people who died in the catastrophic flash floods over the July Fourth holiday, as well as the many still missing. 'Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,' Wyatt Wentrcek, a local youth minister, told the crowd in the bleachers of Tivy Antler Stadium in Kerrville. 'Middle of the night.' During a series of prayers for the victims and the more than 160 people still believed to be missing in hard-hit Kerr County, which includes Kerrville, people in the crowd clutched one another and brushed away tears. Many attendees wore blue shirts with the school's slogan 'Tivy Fight Never Die' or green ribbons for Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County, where at least 27 campers and counselors died. Officials said five campers and one counselor have still not been found. Ricky Pruitt with the Kerrville Church of Christ told the crowd that they gathered intentionally at a place where they had celebrated victories and experienced losses on the field. 'Tonight is very different than all of those nights,' he said. The event was held as search crews and volunteers continued to scour miles along the Guadalupe River for the people still missing. In air boats, helicopters, and on horseback, crews looked in trees and mounds below their feet, while search dogs sniffed for any sign of buried bodies. With almost no hope of finding anyone alive, searchers said they were focused on bringing the families of the missing people some closure. The floods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the US since 1976, when Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon flooded, killing 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections. Officials have been seeking more information about those who were in the Hill Country, a popular tourist destination during the holiday weekend, but did not register at a camp or a hotel and may have been in the area without many people knowing, Gov. Greg Abbott has said. Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered, but the focus now is on recovering victims. The governor called on state lawmakers to approve new flood warning systems and strengthen emergency communications in flood prone areas throughout the state when the Legislature meets in a special session that Abbott had already called to address other issues starting July 21. Abbott also called on lawmakers to provide financial relief for response and recovery efforts from the storms. 'We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,' Abbott said in a statement. Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens. President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover and is planning to visit the state Friday. Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters. Catastrophic flooding is a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people. Although it's difficult to attribute a single weather event to climate change, experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans make these type of storms more likely. After the ceremony in Kerrville on Wednesday, children and families mingled on the field, and some students formed prayer circles. Licensed counselors and therapists were also on hand to meet with people. Andrew Brown, who was at the vigil to honor a Tivy High School soccer coach who died in the flooding, said he believes a warning system with a siren would be helpful. 'I'm sure there are things that could have been different, and I'm sure there will be going forward,' he said. David Garza said he drove an hour and a half to the stadium to provide support for loved ones affected by the floods. 'I'm from here, and I was here in the '78 flood and the '87 flood,' Garza said. 'I just wanted to be a part of this.' ___ Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas contributed to this report.


Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Climate change makes South Asia's monsoon season more prone to floods, landslides and heavy rains
Each year from June to September a series of heavy rains known as monsoons sweep through the Indian subcontinent, providing relief from heat, irrigating the country's farms, and replenishing its rivers. However, as global heat increases, the rain is becoming more erratic and intense, creating the conditions for deadly floods. Nearly 1,300 people died in India throughout 2024 due to heavy rain and floods. Hundreds of rain-related deaths have already occurred this year in the South Asian region, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, and Nepal. Climate experts say the high temperatures and heavy rain are also contributing to the melting of glaciers in the mountainous Himalayan region, causing catastrophic flooding and landslides. The South Asian region has traditionally had two monsoon seasons. One typically lasts from June to September, with rains moving southwest to northeast. The other, from roughly October to December, moves in the opposite direction. But with more planet-warming gases in the air, the rain now only loosely follows this pattern. This is because the warmer air can hold more moisture from the Indian Ocean, and that rain then tends to get dumped all at once. It means the monsoon is punctuated with intense flooding and dry spells rather than sustained rain throughout. 'We are witnessing a clear climatic shift in monsoon patterns across South Asia,' said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune and author of several United Nations climate reports. Traditionally, people in India and neighboring countries excitedly awaited the monsoon rains, which would finally mean the end of summer heat. But attitudes are changing as disasters increase during the rainy seasons. 'The frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events are increasing, often overwhelming drainage infrastructure in urban areas and triggering flash floods,' Koll said. Higher temperatures and longer periods of drought are also making farming harder in South Asia, climate experts said. 'More than 60 percent of the people in South Asia are dependent on agriculture and almost all of them are dependent on monsoon rainfall,' said Finu Shreshta, a climate scientist at Kathmandu Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. A 2023 report by Shreshta's organization found that glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain ranges. The study found that at least 200 of the more than 2,000 glacial lakes in the region are at risk of overflowing, which can cause catastrophic damage downstream. Heavy monsoon rains can exacerbate the problem. 'A lot of the mountain areas tend to have more warming than the global average, resulting in more glaciers melting,' said Miriam Jackson, glaciologist at the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. An October 2023 glacial lake overflow in the Indian state of Sikkim triggered flooding that killed 55 people and damaged bridges, buildings, and a hydropower dam that was under construction. 'Heavy rainfall and increasing heat are leading to snow and ice avalanches, rockfalls, and other events that can trigger the lakes to breach or overflow,' Shreshta said. 'Even small glacial lakes are now breaching and causing damage,' she said. Installing early warning systems and building in less risky areas can help reduce damage from heavy rains, climate experts say. 'If you know a flood is coming, then people can get to higher ground and there could be a sort of standard early warning system along a river that sends out a siren,' Jackson said, adding that social media and messaging applications can help people spread warnings to those downstream. Koll, the Pune-based scientist, said that rapid urbanization, shrinking floodplains, and loss of natural drainage also exacerbate damage from heavy rains. Koll said that most government response currently comes after disasters and there is a lack of long-term planning. 'In the future, monsoon extreme rains are projected to intensify further, in addition to sporadic water shortages. Hence, we need proactive long-term strategies that combine science, policy, and community engagement,' he said. Jackson said the biggest issue, however, is to try to reduce emissions of planet-heating gases because there are limits to adapting to extreme weather. 'If we continue with, you know, business as usual and we have the same kind of emissions, then the world is going to keep on getting warmer and there will be more intense rain and floods. At some point, we could go beyond the limits of adaptation,' she said.


Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
A deadly 1987 flood scarred the same Texas county that is reeling through another disaster
Cindy Manley was a summer camp counselor in 1987 when a different devastating flood scarred the Texas Hill Country. The Heart O the Hills camp is on the Guadalupe River where a massive search continues for more than 160 people who are believed to still be missing after catastrophic flooding over the July Fourth holiday. Decades earlier, Manley said there was an informal system in place when the river started rising: camps upstream would call down a warning and then get kids out of their bunks and to higher ground. During the flood of 1987, Manley recalled a floating canoe injuring camp director Jane Ragsdale. But Ragsdale, 68, was among the more than 100 victims who died in the flooding that began July 4, many of them in Kerr County. 'This water, it did something different,' Manley said. 'Jane knows floods more than anybody else. There's no way she would have been sitting in her house if she had thought this was dangerous.' It is at least the fifth time in the last century that flooding near the Guadalupe River has turned deadly. The area, which is known locally as Flash Flood Alley, has hills that quickly gather water and funnel it into narrow river banks. Water rises fast, catching people by surprise. Here is a look at the river's deadly history of flooding. Frantic evacuations in 1987: This mid-July flood killed 10 teenagers and injured 33 others. Water overwhelmed the river and its tributaries, forcing hundreds to flee. At a Christian academy, buses evacuating children initially encountered modest flooding. While some vehicles turned around in time, a bus and van were stranded when the river rose rapidly. As the children were trying to leave the stranded buses to safety, a wall of water estimated to be as much as half a mile wide rushed upon the campers, according to a government report. 'It scattered the kids.' A bus with Seagoville Road Baptist Church on the side was pictured slammed against tangled trees at an angle and partly under water. A deadly morning flood in 1978: The amount of rain was extraordinary – 30 inches fell on parts of the Hill Country between Aug. 1 and 3. It killed 33 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the flooding that hit the Hill Country struck early in the morning, 'the worst possible time from the point of view of data collection, warning dissemination, and community reaction.' Heavy rains in the early 1990s: A large portion of the state flooded, killing at least 13 people and causing vast damage, especially to agriculture. Month after month of 1991 was wetter than normal. Then more than half of the state was hit with more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain over a six-day period ahead of Christmas. That caused flooding not only in the Guadalupe basin but created what officials called 'one of the most voluminous floods recorded in the history of the State of Texas.' Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas, and writer Albee Zhang contributed from Washington.