When disaster recovery becomes a way of life: Community disaster fatigue is on the rise with more frequent floods

Fast-moving floodwater from a storm damaged bridges and homes and broke apart Million Bible Church in Richmond, Ky., in late June 2026. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Flash flooding has been tearing up communities across the U.S., with heavy downpours sending creeks and rivers rushing over their banks from Texas to Kentucky, across the Midwest and into the Mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast. In Missouri, floodwater swept away a home, and National Guard helicopters had to rescue and evacuate dozens…