Appalachia’s Quiet Time Bombs

Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET on April 18, 2023

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The people who live and work in Appalachian coal country tend to be viewed as climate-change villains rather than victims. But the deadly floods that swept a pocket of eastern Kentucky last summer challenge common preconceptions about which Americans are vulnerable to environmental disasters, and what—or who—is to blame.

First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:

• The myth of the broke Millennial
• ChatGPT will change housework.
• We’re in denial about our dogs.
• The violent fantasy behind the Texas governor’s pardon demand

The Weight of the Rain

To understand how a freak summer rainstorm could kill 44 Appalachian residents and leave thousands more displaced across eastern Kentucky, you could consider the moment in the early morning hours of July