Rep. Christian Menefee, Georgia Conservation Voters, and Hurricane Survivors: Extreme Weather Is Driving Up the Cost of Living Across the South

Washington, DC – Today, Representative Christian Menefee (TX-18), Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, Climate Power, and hurricane survivors from coastal states held a press call spotlighting how the climate crisis is driving more frequent, more destructive storms across the South and pricing families out of their own communities in the process.

The call brought together a rare side-by-side view of Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia, comparing notes on the disasters each state has endured and the mounting affordability crisis that follows: insurance premiums climbing out of reach, utility bills spiking after every major storm, and rebuilding costs that leave families paying for the same disaster years after the storm has passed.

As “once in a lifetime storms” become once-a-year events across the Gulf Coast and Southeast, speakers made clear that affordability, not just recovery, is now the defining concern for disaster-prone coastal communities. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the Trump administration’s cuts to disaster response are making it more expensive for communities to recover. Families aren’t just rebuilding after storms; they’re absorbing higher premiums, higher bills, and higher costs of living every single year, with no end in sight as the climate crisis accelerates.

Rep. Christian Menefee (TX-18) said, “Families in Houston, in Georgia, in North Carolina are all being asked to pay more for less protection, at the exact moment climate change is making these storms more frequent and more severe.”

“Every time there’s a storm, everybody I know panics. We live with anxiety every day, knowing that our safety net is not what it should be,” said Madison Maxwell, North Carolina Hurricane Helene Survivor. “There is no such thing as a climate safe haven. It doesn’t exist anymore. We need a strong emergency response system, we need affordable insurance, and we need a recovery system that actually works for people.” 

“Gas prices are already super high,” said Chassidy Malloy, Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. “If a mandatory evacuation were to come, imagine what that cost would look like. What we’re finding is that even though we have a robust evacuation plan in Savannah, we’re having to go further inland than we ever have. Our safety net is now much further away, and that’s exacerbated by resource gaps.”

A recording of the full press call is available here (Passcode: WG=on#98).