They asked the US government to take "action now to stop development in wetlands and floodplains, reform flood insurance laws, and reduce human-caused greenhouse gases that cause global warming."
Human Rights Watch has seen this first-hand speaking to women in Puerto Rico, a US territory, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Many women spoke about how, without any support from the US government, they and others took action and provided services, from thousands of meals to safe homes for domestic violence survivors.
Women community leaders in Puerto Rico told HRW they have never been consulted by government disaster experts about preparing for more extreme weather events, foreseeable because of climate change science.
Activists, nongovernmental organization leaders, lactation consultants, ob-gyns, and others told HRW their work was taken for granted or ignored after the 2017 storm.