As disasters grow in scale, is government aid fairly distributed?

When it comes to natural disasters, 2023 has been a record setter. From the Maui wildfires to Hurricane Idalia to California flooding, 25 confirmed weather disasters in the United States so far this year have racked up losses exceeding $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. That’s triple the amount for an average year since 1980.

And, although 2023 lags behind other years in the total dollar-value of damages, the four-decade trend is clear: bigger storms, translating into bigger