Human-caused climate change making storms stronger and wetter, experts said — Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50B disasters — It’s time for society to think about where it builds, where it lives and if it should just leave dangerous areas and not rebuild, a concept called “managed retreat”

>Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50 billion disasters, joining ranks of most costly storms

>Storm deaths have been dropping over time, although [Helene](https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-helene “https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-helene”) was an exception. But even adjusted for inflation, damages from intense storms are skyrocketing because people are building in harm’s way, rebuilding costs are rising faster than inflation, and [human-caused climate change](https://apnews.com/hub/environment “https://apnews.com/hub/environment”) are making storms stronger and wetter, experts in different fields said.

>Clark and several of the experts said it’s time for society to think about where it builds, where it lives and if it should just leave dangerous areas and not rebuild, a concept called “managed retreat.”