A natural disaster reveals a politician's priorities. Are they looking out for your interests or just their donors? It's also a reminder on the importance of voting and holding politicians accountable.
What's the connection between disaster response, leadership and investing for the public good? The importance of everyone paying their fair share of taxes to fund public safety? This StoryMap connects the dots by combining:
Real time information on wildfires from the Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
43 categories of weather watches and warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS).
How ignoring climate change is fatal as in the Texas power disaster in Feb 2021 that left 210 people dead.
How 25 billionaires pay practically no income tax and avoid contributing to funds for public safety.
President Biden's infrastructure plan that invests in green energy and fighting climate change.
How to contact your Senator by phone or email to demand they support infrastructure investment.
This story was created with the StoryMaps app and can be skimmed quickly or read in detail. It is updated with new data from the National Weather Service and can be freely shared on social media with this link (https://arcg.is/0ibfuz) or embedded in a map with this code:
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What inspired this story?
- The current wildfires across the west, Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and the flooding in New York.
- Senators who authorize trillions for endless wars but refuse to investment in public infrastructure to fight climate change and green energy.
- Governors who ignore expert advice resulting in their power grid failing in a cold wave killing hundreds of people, while focussed on voter suppression and denying women control of their own bodies.
- Freeloading billionaires who dodge taxes but still use public services when their mansions are threatened by natural disasters.
- Making it easy for voters to appreciate how the new infrastructure bill helps them fight climate change disasters and how to contact their senators to demand they support it.
Storytelling with data
This map is continuously updated with a live feed of wildfire data from Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Details on 43 categories of weather warnings including hurricanes and floods are obtained from the National Weather Service (NWS). This information is overlaid with state boundaries and contact details of Senators using ArcGIS Online. These map layers are combined with graphics, cartoons and videos using the StoryMap app.
Keep stories short and simple (KISS)
This story has few words but provides several links to more details. It uses images, videos, cartoons and maps to make the information more engaging.
