In one week, 140 tornadoes tore across the central U.S., killing five and destroying whole communities. More tornadoes are predicted in the weeks to come.
Could it happen here in Flint?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Earlier this year, a tornado touched down in Grand Blanc, MI, less than 10 miles from here. It reached wind speeds of 115 miles per hour and traveled almost 6 miles in 10 minutes. Typically, Genesee County gets an estimated 1.3 tornadoes per year. But we’ve already had one, and it’s not even tornado season yet.
In recent years, tornadoes have occurred more often outside of “tornado alley” in the Great Plains. And while the jury is still out on whether climate change causes more tornadoes, we do know that as the planet warms, we will see more extreme weather of all kinds.
Because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, climate change is causing heavier storms and more flooding. Devastating straight-line winds are becoming more common. Heat waves, the deadliest climate impact, are more frequent and long-lasting. The toll on human health and the economy is growing: climate change is estimated to cost $150 billion in damages and 820 billion dollars in health care costs per year.
As a Flint resident and family medicine doctor, I see the impact of climate change in my community — from increased asthma exacerbations during thunderstorms to heat-related illnesses when the temperature climbs.
Flint needs to prepare for environmental emergencies and disasters in order to mitigate damage, save communities, and improve health outcomes. Honestly, we are less prepared for extreme weather than we were for the Flint Water Crisis or the COVID pandemic, given that we are still in recovery and a crisis can hit at any time.
The City of Flint does not have a strong emergency preparedness plan, because many of the City’s affairs have been fragmented and outsourced to county officials. But, the City of Flint and Genesee County have different challenges and priorities. The City of Flint needs a more robust emergency preparedness and response system that is not housed in the county. More extreme weather events are just around the corner as climate change shows its true face.
We need a strategy to enhance Flint’s emergency preparedness in our local government, establish Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and revitalize the Alert FLINT notification system. Flint needs to be and deserves to be, better prepared for the adverse consequences of medical and environmental disasters caused by climate change. Let the tornadoes be a warning: Stormy weather is on the way.
(Dr Aisha Harris, MD is a Family Medicine Doctor in Flint, Michigan at Harris Family Health. Harris is a 2024 Climate Health Equity Fellow with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.)