Why Would Anyone In Puerto Rico Want A Hurricane? Because Someone Will Get Rich.

How tax breaks and a quasi-colonial status make the island vulnerable to disasters.
Aerial view of a fortress in Puerto Rico.

Telling the History of the U.S. Through Its Territories

“How to Hide an Empire,” explores America far beyond the borders of the Lower 48.
Puerto Rican flag in tatters near smoking buildings.

Top Ten Origins: Puerto Rico and the United States

Outlining America's complex relationship and shared history with Puerto Rico and questions about sovereignty.

Hurricanes Drive Immigration to the US

Why hurricane refugees are more likely to come from some countries than others.
Hurricane Irma in Miami.
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The Cost of Coastal Capitalism: How Greedy Developers Left Miami Ripe for Destruction

Building on vulnerable coastlines isn't about ignorance or hubris — it's about profit.

What 100-Year-Old Hurricanes Could Teach Us About Irma

Can the history of hurricanes prove the existence of climate change?

A Requiem for Florida, the Paradise That Should Never Have Been

As Hurricane Irma prepares to strike, it’s worth remembering that Mother Nature never intended us to live here.

Thirty Years of Atlantic Hurricanes

A history of every Atlantic storm tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 1987.

The Woman Who Helped Change How Hurricanes Are Named

For decades, only female names were used.