In this Kool FM/New Narratives radio report, listeners travel to rural Liberia where the twin forces of deforestation and climate change are leaving communities dangerously exposed to more frequent and devastating windstorms. Across counties like Nimba and Rivercess, families who once relied on forests as natural barriers now find their homes and livelihoods laid bare as trees are cut for charcoal, firewood, and farmland, stripping away the protection that might soften the blows of intensifying storms. Through firsthand accounts from survivors and insights from climate and forestry experts, this story reveals how environmental degradation is deepening vulnerability—and why there are no easy fixes to shield these rural dwellers from the growing fury of a changing climate. New Narratives’ Siaway Miapue reports from Nimba County for Kool FM.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the American Jewish World Service and the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funders had no say in the story’s content. Prue Clarke contributed reporting.