Extreme Weather Survivors Launch Stolen Summers Campaign

The tour kicks off September 25 in Burnsville, North Carolina, featuring a concert by Appalachian folk singer and hurricane survivor Murphy Campbell. This event serves as both a commemoration of the storm’s impact and a call for policy changes to support those navigating the lengthy, expensive recovery process. Beyond the stage, the campaign provides microgrants and organizational toolkits to empower local disaster survivors to lead grassroots advocacy efforts.

Sierra Kos, co-founder of the organization, noted that the initiative seeks to reclaim narratives often ignored by policymakers. The tour will span states including Texas, Colorado, and California before concluding October 22 in Los Angeles. The final event, developed with actor Arian Moayed and the theater company Waterwell, will feature professional performances of curated survivor stories.

Recent national polling underscores the urgency of the campaign: 71% of Americans report experiencing an extreme weather event in the last three years, while 64% believe victims are largely abandoned by support systems once initial emergency efforts fade. By centering these personal accounts, organizers hope to make the human cost of climate disasters impossible for elected officials to overlook.