Florida Has 4 ‘Disaster Zones’ for Climate Change – Here They Are

A new study is out that points out a handful of cities that are the best and worst for climate change in the United States. As it turns out, Florida has four "disaster zones" for climate change.

Did you know that the last decade, 2011-2020, was the hottest on record? That's according to a fresh report from from the World Meteorological Organization. The report, released late last year at the COP28 conference in Dubai, also stated that, "continued rising concentrations of greenhouse gases fueled record land and ocean temperatures and turbo-charged a dramatic acceleration in ice melt and sea level rise." It also states that "extreme events across the decade had devastating impacts, particularly on food security, displacement and migration, hindering national development and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

What's more, 2024 is on target to be the hottest year ever, according to this report. I'm not surprised, as last winter was extremely mild throughout most of the U.S. Also, extreme weather events such as hurricanes and flooding are becoming more common. The information in this report comes from "physical data analyses and impact assessments" from experts at National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, Regional Climate Centres, National Statistics Offices and United Nations partners.

Let's get into the best and most disastrous cities for climate change. Online insurance marketplace Policygenius analyzed the 50 largest U.S. cities to find out which will be most and least impacted cities for climate change by 2050. "The factors analyzed included heat and humidity, flooding and sea level rise, air quality, and frequency of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, social vulnerability, and community resilience," they explain. The best city in America for climate change, and the major safe haven, is San Francisco, California. Find the full tally of the best cities for climate change below. These cities are the best for climate change, states Policygenius:

Now, the disaster zones. For the cities ranked the most at risk, let's call them "disaster zones," most of them are actually down South in the Sunbelt. Four of those cities are in Florida, and the others are in Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, California and Virginia. It's wild to think that we have some of the most disastrous cities for climate change, according to this story. But, the worst city is Houston, Texas. Here are the cities that are the worst for climate change, according to Policygenius:

By now, you've probably heard that norovirus is going around. It seems to be spreading everywhere, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), right now, the biggest norovirus activity right now is in the West and Northeast. I'm in the Midwest, but the stomach bug still hit me this week. Wow. It was a doozy. Thankfully, mine only lasted about 24 hours, but norovirus can last for longer. So, how do you avoid getting norovirus? Because, believe me, you don't want to get this. It's not fun or cute at all.

The newest report from the CDC shows that in the West region of the U.S., more than 12% of tests for norovirus have come back positive, and in the Northeast, it's more than 13%. In the Midwest and Southern regions, roughly 10% of tests are coming back positive. This isn't a total surprise, as noroviruses are usually more prevalent in the fall and winter. But, the warm winter that much of the U.S. has been experiencing could have something to do with it. Also, according to the CDC, norovirus is the main cause of vomiting and diarrhea from acute gastroenteritis in the U.S.

"While I think that there is a pretty good trend that overall, throughout the country, the number of norovirus outbreaks have not really increased, I don't think it’s completely representative of all the different communities in the U.S.," Christopher Cao, an assistant professor of gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Scientificamerican.com. Dr. Cao added that he, personally, as seen a lot more norovirus cases in his area in New York City, "and that may not necessarily be reflected in the data that the CDC is providing because they don’t collect data from New York [State]."

Here are some important ways to avoid getting this nasty bug. These tips comes from the CDC.

Di you know that hand sanitizer isn't effective against norovirus? I learned that the hard way. My mom always tells me to slather my hands in the stuff, but it won't help for this bug. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

The CDC says that before preparing and eating your food, you should wash fruits and vegetables well; cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145°F; and routinely clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces. Also, "noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat and can survive temperatures as high as 145°F," they warn. Also, they say to avoid preparing and handling food or caring for others when you are sick.

Good ol' bleach is where it's at. The CDC says that "after someone vomits or has diarrhea, always clean well and disinfect the entire area immediately." Bleach kills this stuff. Also, when cleaning, make sure to wear rubber or disposable gloves and wipe the entire area with paper towels and throw them in a plastic trash bag. The CDC also recommends to "leave the bleach disinfectant on the affected area for at least 5 minutes."

Any clothing with vomit or poop should be removed and washed right away. The CDC says to "wear rubber or disposable gloves" and "Wash the items with detergent and hot water at the maximum available cycle length and then machine dry them at the highest heat setting." For more tips, go here.