"You may not believe in climate change, but climate change believes in you." In episode 2 of Shack & Mu, Dr. Sacoby Wilson and Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali get real about disasters and the people the cameras never show: category five hurricanes, 128 degree heat, biblical floods, and the communities forced to survive them with the least help and the least blame.

Opening with James Baldwin's line about making people conscious of what they do not see, the hosts trace a line from Hurricane Katrina, where Dr. Ali served on the emergency response team, to Maria, Harvey, Helene, and the LA fires. They name the pattern: the same people get hit hardest every time, and they usually contributed least to the problem. Dr. Wilson unpacks "compounding vulnerabilities," why a floodplain floods for a reason, and how toxic Superfund sites turn a flood into a poison soup. Then they turn to solutions: hurricane resistant housing, heat and housing justice, cooling centers, trees on every block, faith centers as disaster hubs, and building justice back into FEMA.

• (00:16) Hurricane Melissa and the case for a category six
• (02:58) Katrina on the ground, firsthand
• (05:51) Paper towels and "great job, Brownie"
• (08:21) Compounding vulnerabilities explained
• (11:40) Rebuild or relocate, and FEMA's inequities
• (15:20) Zoning, Phoenix heat, and building codes
• (18:04) Cooling centers, trees, and Baltimore's Code Red study
• (20:45) Rapid fire: faith groups, fossil fuels, youth, and FEMA
• (25:00) When disaster meets ICE

• The same people get hit hardest. Black, Latino, Indigenous, low income, uninsured, and floodplain communities carry the heaviest losses while contributing least to emissions.
• A flood is rarely just water. When Superfund sites breach, one contained hazard becomes a toxic soup spread across a whole community.
• Build justice into the code. Hurricane resistant housing, heat justice, and smart zoning protect people before the next event.
• Trees and cooling centers save lives. A single street tree can mean a 20 to 30 degree difference.
• Save the vulnerable and you save everyone. Equity in preparedness and recovery is the whole strategy, not an add on.

Call your local representative and tell them what you expect on climate preparedness, find your nearest cooling center, and support the faith centers and mutual aid groups acting as disaster hubs.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | YouTube

Social: Instagram | TikTok | Threads | Facebook