relief to those in desperate need. it was an affirmation of our society s basic belief. people should get the help they need in the wake of a disaster. that a tragic cruel twist of fate shouldn t be the thing that permanently knocks someone off their rung in the economic ladder. here s what adhering to that correct principle looks like in dollar figures. $136 billion has been spent on disaster relief just between 2011 and 2013 according to a study by american progress using conservative estimates, $68 billion came in the form of supplemental appropriations, the other $68 billion through the normal process. half of that spending wasn t budgeted ahead of time. the number of billion dollar weather events has risen from an average of two per year to more than ten per year. that trajectory isn t flattening out. increasing population density combined with the era of climate disaster means that we re going to spend more and more and more on providing relief to victims of weather catastrophes.
budgeted ahead of time. the number of billion dollar weather events has risen from an average of two per year to more than ten per year. that trajectory isn t flattening out. increasing population density combined with the era of climate disaster means that we re going to spend more and more and more on providing relief to victims of weather catastrophes. at some point, i m confident we ll collectively wake up to the fact that ignoring climate change and doing little or nothing about the carbon emissions that exacerbates it is costing us a fortune beyond the loss of life. but the rise in global temperature from the damage we have already done means we need to think in a comprehensive way about what we can do to mitigate the effects of climate related disasters like superstorms, flooding and drought.
baby. a toddler, an elderly woman. emergency workers couldn t get to them because the roads weren t plowed. if that was done intentionally, who else needs to worry next? as a new yorker i was outraged. i m usually a big backer of mayor bloomberg but his response has been totally off key. there should be an investigation. if there is any evidence people broke laws and contributed to the medical care or deaths of anyone, they should go to jail. megyn: you are talking about sanitation workers. it s not different am not like a doorman said they wouldn t going to open the doors in the morning. these men and women are responsible for keeping the roads safe in a snowstorm it s a public safety issue. it s not just about new york. you have got weather catastrophes that hit a lot of