The Disaster Industrial Complex Is Driving US Economic Growth
Volunteers and workers rebuild walls in the Marquee, a retail art space, in July.
Photographer: Mike Belleme/Bloomberg
Some stories have mundane beginnings, while others strike like lightning. Only occasionally is it both. In today’s newsletter, we share the story behind our new feature on the disaster industrial complex, and how it’s playing out in western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Plus, a nonprofit has resurrected the billion-dollar disaster database the Trump administration killed. The findings show that the first half of the year was the costliest such period on record.