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The topic today: disasters.

First, Esty talks with Journalist Hanady Salman who joins us from Beirut where at least 22 people were killed in the latest strike. Salman explains that air raids have become a daily occurrence in Lebanon and that they are bracing for an invasion by the Israeli army.

Then, Esty pivots to hurricanes. This conversation comes just days after Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s Gulf Coast. Milton, which at one point reached a level five tropical storm, came just weeks after Hurricane Helene which claimed hundreds of lives in the Southeastern United States.

Esty talks with reporter Jonah Chester who covers flooding, sea level rise, and climate change in Charleston, South Carolina. He’s spent the last couple of weeks writing on the toll of Hurricane Helene, comparisons to past tropical storms, and spotting disaster misinformation online.

Finally, Esty speaks with environmental scientists Dr. Michael Mann about the reality of worsen storms, the need for leaders to address climate change, and the decades long impact of storms such of as Helene and Milton.

About our guests:

Hanady Salman is a senior editor at As-Safir Newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon. She contributed to the book Inside Lebanon with Noam Chomsky and others, based on Chomsky’s visit to Lebanon just before the 2006 invasion by Israel. The film “Letters from Beirut: the War of 33” is based on her writings. More of her work can be found in Jadaliyya.

Jonah Chester is based in Charleston, South Carolina, where he covers flooding, sea level rise and climate change for the Rising Waters Lab at the Post and Courier. He previously worked as a reporter at Wisconsin Watch and as the Assistant News Director at WORT. 

Dr. Michael E. Mann is a Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He is also director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media. Mann is the author of several books including his most recent work, Our Fragile Moment which will be out in paperwork on October, 15th.

ABI imagery of Hurricane Helene from NOAA’S GOES-16 Satellite, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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