Rather than bouncing back, places hit repeatedly by hurricanes, floods and wildfires are unraveling as residents and employers leave, shrinking the tax bases and making it harder to fund basic services
The abandoned downtown of Fair Bluff, N.C., five years since flooding from Hurricane Matthew devastated the small town, on June 18, 2021. Climate shocks have pushed already-struggling small rural communities like Fair Bluff to the brink of insolvency. Rather than bouncing back, many are simply unraveling.
Image: Mike Belleme/The New York Times
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