Battered by Hurricane Idalia last year, Florida village ponders future as hurricane season begins

Associated Press

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Almost a year after Hurricane Idalia tore through Florida, many residents of Horseshoe Beach in the north are still recovering. Those who lost homes ask themselves: Do I stay or go? Rebuild or live differently? Can I afford it? Across the U.S., coastal residents facing climate impacts are making similar calculations. To live along the coast in a time of climate change is to contend with increasing vulnerabilities. Seas are rising and warming, eroding coastlines, intensifying storms and increasing the frequency of flooding. But protecting communities from sea level rise, worsening storms and more frequent flooding is complex and getting harder.