SAN DIEGO — When Hurricane Ida made landfall weeks ago in Louisiana, News 8 had a team on the ground riding out the storm and seeing the damage left behind.
In the days that followed, more than a million people were without power and in many cases without food, water, or gas to leave town.
Making landfall 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ida brought wind, rain, and dangerous storm surge to Louisiana weeks ago.
Families who rode out the storm returned to their homes for the first time, driving through floodwaters and over downed power lines to see what was left. Weeks went on with no power, and many are still relying on assistance from nonprofits and the government for basic necessities following the storm.
Scientists with NOAA say man-made global warming could bring hurricanes to the U.S. coast in greater numbers and with more intensity.
In research published just last month, scientists project an increase in the future of three things -- the rainfall that accompanies major hurricanes, the intensity of those hurricanes, and the proportion of storms that reach the status of category 4 or 5.
In just the last four years, there have been five major hurricanes to make landfall as a Category 4 or 5 storm just in the Gulf Coast -- giving the area little time to rebuild in between.
One United Nations agency says the number of weather disasters driven by climate change has increased fivefold in the last 40 years.
So while some continue to wait for power to be restored and to rebuild their homes -- more and more will likely need to consider weather-safe options.
Research also suggests that increasing urbanization in big cities along the Gulf Coast exacerbates rain and flood rates -- especially in situations like Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston in 2017.
They say the more concrete and industrialization, the less the ground can absorb the rainfall at that rate.
WATCH RELATED: News 8's Evan Noorani gives an update on Hurricane Ida in Louisiana (August 2021)