Hurricane Helene delivers a warning to LI

Images from the wake of Hurricane Helene are almost apocalyptic. From Florida's coastal Big Bend area across Georgia and into the mountainous inland areas of North Carolina, Tennessee and several other states, homes and businesses were destroyed, trees toppled onto houses and power lines, and floodwaters devoured entire communities and took many lives.

The scale of the destruction has forced authorities to airlift rescue teams and supplies into western North Carolina, the kind of operation we would typically see in other corners of the world. But it's become necessary in a region where potable water, food, power and cellphone service now are scarce and roads and bridges are badly damaged, making the need dire and entry and exit extremely difficult.

The federal government has responded quickly with personnel and supplies, though much more will be needed. President Joe Biden sounded the right tone in warning of still "very treacherous conditions" and the "disastrous" toll being exacted on families and communities, and he rightly promised to ask Congress to convene promptly should supplemental disaster funding be needed.

Also looming in the wake of the storm is a slow-motion financial calamity.

Even though Helene made landfall in a sparsely populated area, estimates of property damage and economic losses are staggering, in the double-digit billions of dollars. Many homeowners in Helene's path do not have flood insurance, and many in the storm-battered Big Bend area in particular have no insurance at all. That means homeowners must bear the high costs of rebuilding — if they decide to rebuild. The numerous insurers in Florida that left the market after previous storms were replaced by smaller newcomers who might lack the reserves needed to pay off the claims they will receive. Helene also will put a strain on the state of Florida, which started its own insurance market, and the federal flood insurance program, guaranteeing that the cycle of rising rates and shrinking coverage will continue. It's bound to further upend the insurance market in New York. 

Empathy and sympathy for the victims is warranted. But when will that concern morph into action? When will we understand that disasters like Helene have implications for our region, that what's happening in Florida and Georgia and North Carolina will eventually happen here, too, and that there are no safe havens? Where are the state officials who must start the tough conversation about how we should fortify our communities, and how we should plan for retreat? Where is our regional approach to a problem that truly is regional?

Refusing to confront the problem because of its enormity and the financial costs will only increase those costs when disaster strikes an unprepared region.

Attention must come from all levels, from federal and state government leaders to local officials and homeowners. As Helene and others have shown us over and over, the day after the storm is too late to get serious.