"Unbearable heat and worsening storms prompt residents of states such as Florida to move elsewhere"

"As a Rust belt town of 65,000 people in eastern Indiana, Muncie may not be the most exciting place in the world. It doesn’t have beaches, year-round warm weather or much in the way of cosmopolitanism.

But for Laura Rivas, a cybersecurity engineer formerly of North Miami Beach, Florida, Muncie is perfect.

Before she moved there in 2022, life in Florida had become unbearable.

Climate crisis-strengthened hurricanes and flooding meant her homeowner’s insurance was skyrocketing.

“The climate has gotten so bad – every hurricane season was worse than the last,” she said recently. The insurance companies “couldn’t afford [to operate in Florida] any more”."

Stephen Starr reports for the Guardian September 22, 2024. [2]