It should be no surprise that in the US, the response to these
adverse events in faraway lands has been rather muted, because the response to extreme weather right here
at home has been muted, too.
As discussed earlier, Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that communities of color, poor communities, and certain other vulnerable populations (like new immigrant communities) are
at a higher risk to the
adverse effects of extreme weather
events.263, 264,239 These vulnerable populations could benefit from urban planning policies that ensure that new buildings, including
homes, are constructed to resist extreme weather
events.303