Extreme weather survivors organize as a political force

Americans who have lived through extreme weather disasters are starting to organize as a political force, according to a Guardian feature published on October 21, 2026.

The Guardian cites an estimate that about half of all people in the United States are affected by extreme weather disasters. Among the groups forming in response is Extreme Weather Survivors, which was co-founded by Sierra Kos, a film-maker. Kos was caught in toxic smoke from wildfires in rural Oregon in 2020 while trying to take her son to receive medical care. According to Kos, the group's survivor network spans around 2,500 people across the country.

Politically diverse delegations of survivors have made several trips to Washington to press lawmakers, Kos said. She said survivors overwhelmingly feel that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the federal agency responsible for disaster response, should be more responsive, and that disaster aid should not be politicized.

The debate over FEMA has taken place alongside changes to the agency itself. Donald Trump has enacted deep cuts to FEMA and has stressed that states should take on more responsibility for disaster relief, according to the Guardian.

In October 2026, survivors met in a community hall in Kerrville, Texas, a town hit by flash floods in 2025 that killed 136 people. All Texas candidates for governor and US Senate were invited to the meeting, but only Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, attended.

Among those who spoke was Kylie Nidever, a former pre-school teacher. Her childhood home in Hunt, Texas, was one of the few in its neighborhood to survive the 2025 floods. She has spoken to a committee of Texas lawmakers about what she described as the lack of FEMA response to flooding.

The Guardian also reported on October 16, 2026, that polls show Democrats and Republicans in battleground states, the states where control of Congress or the presidency is often contested, want to hear more from candidates about the climate crisis.