Description: The Cold Springs Fire started on September 7, 2020. This same day, about 80 other fires were also started in Washington state, caused by downed power lines and high winds. By the morning of September 8, the Cold Springs fire alone had burnt 175,000 acres. This fire burned nearly 300,000 acres along the Okanogan valley before it was contained. 78 homes and 60 other structures were destroyed, most of them on the Coleville Reservation.

Description: Significant rainstorms struck Breathitt County, KY during the end of February and beginning of March 2021. 7-8 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. The intense rain caused damage to structures, knocked down trees, and caused landslides. It also caused a boil water advisory due to overwhelmed water systems. This is the second major flooding disaster in two years for Eastern Kentucky.

Description: Several flood events in the spring of 2015 damaged over 300 private stream crossings (bridges) in southwest West Virginia. Homeowners who cross streams to get to their homes are either driving through the stream bed, using a neighbor’s bridge if they can, or parking on the other side of the stream and walking across a temporary walkway or a neighboring bridge. Because these are private structures, the government cannot help directly, so the only potential assistance is voluntary organizations like MDS.

Description: The Camp Fire started on November 8, 2018 due to a faulty electrical line and made worse by a drought in the area. By the time it was contained on November 25, 2018, it had become the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. At least 85 civilians were killed, and several civilians and firefighters were injured. The total damage from the fire was estimated at $16.5 billion, with one quarter of the damage uninsured.

Description: Flooding: In June 2018, a sudden severe storm dumped heavy rains on the mesas north of McAllen, TX, and swept into the tributaries to the Rio Grande River. This freak storm created flooding where not typically expected, as the affected homes were not in a typical flood plain. Border Humanitarian Disaster: An increase in migration of asylum seekers at the U.S./Mexico border has resulted in an ongoing humanitarian disaster and a need for shelter. Asylum seekers are people facing violence and political or religious persecution at home.

Description: Hurricane Laura struck Louisiana on August 26, 2020 as a Category 4 hurricane. This hurricane was the tenth-strongest U.S. hurricane landfall by wind speed on record, with peak winds of 150 mph. On October 9, 2020 Hurricane Delta struck Louisiana in the same areas that were significantly affected by Hurricane Laura. Many homeowners had not returned home yet from evacuating from Hurricane Laura, and many homes still had tarps on their roofs from Laura. This area was also impacted by the Freeze of 2021 where many exposed pipes were frozen and then in May of 2021 received over 15 inches of rain.

Description: Hurricane Harvey reached tropical storm status on August 17, 2017 and continued to develop and intensify, becoming a category 3 hurricane that finally dissipated on September 3, 2017. It was the costliest natural disaster ever on record in the U.S. and the first major hurricane to make landfall on U.S. soil since 2005. There were 91 confirmed deaths and more than 300,000 people were left without electricity. Many people were displaced and thousands of homes were destroyed or sustained major damage.