--- title: Climate Change Is Already Worsening Homelessness description: Tropical Storm Hilary and the recent Maui wildfires show how climate change threatens the most vulnerable populations. canonical: https://time.com/6308020/climate-change-homelessness-maui-hilary/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-08-24T14:53:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:26:06.835Z article:section: Climate og:title: Tropical Storm Hilary and Maui Fires Show Climate Change is Worsening Homelessness og:description: Climate change is already threatening the most vulnerable populations. og:url: https://time.com/6308020/climate-change-homelessness-maui-hilary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc476a332dc0bcd2/698a3fc522fb855457e2efc2/tropical-storm-hilary-unhoused-homeless.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Tropical Storm Hilary Brings Wind and Heavy Rain to Southern California og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tropical Storm Hilary and Maui Fires Show Climate Change is Worsening Homelessness twitter:description: Climate change is already threatening the most vulnerable populations. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc476a332dc0bcd2/698a3fc522fb855457e2efc2/tropical-storm-hilary-unhoused-homeless.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:07 video:published: 2023-08-21 section: climate topics: tropical storm, hurricane, Los Angeles, emergency preparedness, flash flooding, rainfall forecast, Santa Ana winds, Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, coastal flooding, rip currents, storm damage genre: news report, public safety advisory tones: urgent, informative, cautionary, calm emotions: concern (high), anxiety (medium), reassurance (low) sentiment: negative audience: Los Angeles residents, emergency planners, general news viewers, people in Southern California content_suitability: disasters [00:00-02:07] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Tropical Storm Hilary and Maui Fires Show Climate Change is Worsening Homelessness > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=90c8a7c0-24ed-4eb2-bcfa-9ae2fae322d5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Los Angeles Braces for Hilary, the First Tropical storm to Hit Southern California in 84 years [Watch (HLS stream): Los Angeles Braces for Hilary, the First Tropical storm to Hit Southern California in 84 years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YFTEkJsk.m3u8) (2:07)  _Published 2023-08-21. Tens of millions of people are under tropical storm warnings as Tropical Storm Hilary brings “life threatening to locally catastrophic” flooding to southern California and beyond, the National Weather Service said during a Sunday advisory._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents safety guidance and forecast details for Los Angeles ahead of an approaching storm. Residents are told to avoid unnecessary travel, prepare emergency kits and charge devices, and are given the numbers to call for emergencies and service requests. The speaker describes the storm's weakening to a Category 1 hurricane and its expected downgrade to a tropical storm at landfall. Forecast rainfall, wind speeds and the areas expected to see the largest impacts are outlined, along with the types of damage anticipated. ## Key points - Residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel and to stay off the road if they do not need to be driving. (00:07) - Emergency kits and essential devices should be on hand, and all devices should be charged. (00:14) - Angelenos should call 911 in a life-threatening emergency, and use 311 or request service online for roadway flooding, fallen tree limbs or mudslides. (00:23) - The storm has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of at least 80 mph and is expected to make landfall as a tropical storm. (00:38) - A total of 1 to 3 inches of rain is forecast for the Los Angeles area, with expected wind speeds of 20 to 30 miles an hour. (00:53) - The Antelope Valley and San Gabriel Mountain areas are expected to see the largest impacts, with 3 to 7 inches of rain. (00:53) - Santa Ana corridors have a higher chance of sustained winds up to 40 miles an hour with gusts up to 50 miles an hour in mountain areas. (01:23) - Expected impacts include flash and coastal flooding, erosion, rip currents, high seas, and damage to structures, large trees and signs; roads may become impassable from debris. (01:23) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:23] Travel and preparedness advice. Residents are told to avoid unnecessary travel and to prepare emergency kits and charge devices. - [00:23 to 00:38] Emergency and service contact numbers. The speaker explains when to call 911 and when to use 311 or online service requests. - [00:38 to 00:53] Storm strength and landfall expectations. The storm has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to make landfall as a tropical storm. - [00:53 to 01:23] Rain and wind forecast. Rainfall totals and wind speeds are given for Los Angeles and the most affected areas outside the city. - [01:23 to 02:07] Santa Ana winds and expected impacts. Stronger winds in mountain corridors and a list of expected flooding and damage impacts are described. ## Key quotes - [00:09] Speaker: "If you do not need to be on the road, please don't get in your car." - [00:23] Speaker: "In the event of life-threatening emergency, Angelenos should call 911." - [00:38] Speaker: "Fortunately, the storm has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, with a maximum winds of at least 80 mph." - [01:53] Speaker: "Roads may become impassable from debris." ## Questions this video answers - What should residents do to prepare for the storm? [00:14] - When should Angelenos call 911 versus 311? [00:23] - How strong is the storm expected to be at landfall? [00:38] - How much rain is forecast for Los Angeles and surrounding areas? [00:53] - Which areas are expected to see the largest impacts? [00:53] - What damage and hazards are expected from the storm? [01:23] ## Content suitability - disasters [00:00-02:07]: Covers an approaching storm with expected flash flooding, coastal flooding, erosion, wind damage and impassable roads, along with emergency safety guidance.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 24, 2023 2:53 PM UTC Tens of millions of people are under tropical storm warnings as Tropical Storm Hilary brings “life threatening to locally catastrophic” flooding to southern California and beyond, the National Weather Service said during a Sunday advisory.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 24, 2023 2:53 PM UTC [More than 170,000](https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf) people in California are unhoused. Even as the state has poured resources into combating the problem, the number of people without homes has ticked upward in recent years. On the surface the state has one key advantage for people who without a reliable roof over their heads: relatively consistent and livable weather. So one of my first thoughts when I heard news of a hurricane barrelling toward Los Angeles last week was just “what will happen to the city’s homeless population?” City agencies quickly took action. As it became clear the Los Angeles region could experience an extreme downpour and subsequent flooding, outreach teams fanned out across the river bank and dam areas across the city that have become home to a significant unhoused population offering support to move them into shelters and motels. Still, many others learned about the impending storm from friends and neighbors—covering their belongings with tarps distributed by mutual aid groups. It’s almost a truism that the effects of [climate change](https://time.com/section/climate/) will hit the most vulnerable hardest. We see this globally as extreme weather events hit countries in the [Global South](https://time.com/6225469/climate-justice-inequity-self-interest/) that have contributed the least to the problem. In the U.S., communities of color are often more vulnerable than their predominantly white counterparts. With Tropical Storm Hilary on my mind, I want to take a moment to reflect on the link between climate change and this country’s housing crisis. The most obvious connection is the threat extreme weather poses to unhoused people. While the reasoning is fairly simple—homes provide shelter from the elements—I think it’s worth acknowledging some of the data here. In 2020 and 2021, for example, more than [300 homeless people](https://www.maricopa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5404) died of heat-related deaths in Arizona’s Maricopa County. While no deaths in California have been reported from Tropical Storm Hilary, many unhoused people in L.A. lost their possessions and makeshift shelters. Unsurprisingly, [research](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1992-08847-001) has shown that extreme climate events can lead homeless individuals to suffer PTSD and other mental health conditions. All of this is multiplied as climate change drives increasingly unpredictable weather. People without homes know how to respond to expected seasonal events. For example, they move indoors to shelters or even just train stations when it begins to snow in New York City. But events like a near-hurricane in Los Angeles or a wildfire in Maui can catch populations with limited access to information off guard. Another link worth considering is the way in which climate change creates more homelessness and further stresses strained housing systems. Hurricane Katrina, for example, [displaced](https://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Natural-Disasters-and-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-2009.pdf) 800,000 people. Of course, many rebuilt or relocated—but not everyone. Four years after the storm, 12,000 people remained without shelter, according to a [report](https://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Natural-Disasters-and-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-2009.pdf) from the National Coalition for the Homeless. A [recent survey](https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2023-06/CASPEH%5FReport%5F62023.pdf) found that 2% of California’s homeless population said they lost their shelter following a wildfire or natural disaster. Housing has been—and will continue to be—a key issue in Maui too as it recovers from this month’s wildfire that killed more than 100 people and left hundreds more missing. Maui already has a housing crisis, the result of a high cost of living driven in large part by the tourism industry. And, now, many more are left looking for places to stay. Ashley Kelly, the chief operating officer at Hawaii’s Family Life Center, which connects people to social support services, [told my colleague](https://time.com/6307247/maui-wildfires-displace-thousands-worsening-homelessness/) that the center has received an uptick in calls. But the circumstances are tough, she said: “Finding housing for any new clients is just not possible right now.” **_A version of this story also appears in the_** **Climate is Everything** **_newsletter. 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