This article explores how a single devastating flood in Pacific, Washington, reshaped the life of an 85-year-old resident. Her story reveals important truths about aging, climate-related disasters, and the limits of our protective infrastructure.
Using the experience of Roberta Hales as a starting point, we examine the growing vulnerability of older adults to extreme weather events. We also explore what communities can do to mitigate risk and support recovery.
Flooding in Pacific, Washington: When Infrastructure Fails
In mid-December 2025, the city of Pacific in western Washington experienced severe flooding after days of heavy rain. What began as a prolonged winter storm escalated into a community-wide emergency when local flood defenses could no longer cope with the sheer volume of water.
The critical turning point was the failure of a levee designed to keep nearby waterways in check. Once that barrier gave way, floodwaters moved quickly and forcefully into residential neighborhoods, inundating homes, streets, and essential services.
A Lifetime Home Transformed in a Single Day
Among the residents affected was 85-year-old Roberta Hales, who watched as her lifetime home in Pacific was transformed by the flood. Standing outside, she surveyed the damage while crews removed waterlogged carpets and ruined furniture from the interior.
Inside, soaked materials and structural damage rendered the house uninhabitable in its current state. What had been a place of continuity and security instead became a stark illustration of how quickly extreme weather can upend the lives of older adults.
The Human Face of Extreme Weather: Older Adults at Risk
Events like the December 17, 2025 flood are part of a broader pattern: more frequent and intense storms interacting with aging infrastructure and aging populations. Older residents often bear a disproportionate share of the consequences when protective systems fail.
Hales’ experience emphasizes how a flood is not just a hydrological event; it is a social and public health challenge that exposes existing vulnerabilities in our communities.
Why Older Residents Are Especially Vulnerable
From a scientific and public-health perspective, older adults face multiple, overlapping risks in disasters such as flooding:
Hales’ uninhabitable home encapsulates many of these concerns. When the physical structure is lost, so too is a key anchor for health, independence, and emotional well-being.
A Symbol of Loss—and the Science of Recovery
For Hales, the flood turned a “forever home” into what she now views as a symbol of both loss and potential recovery. Her situation reflects what disaster researchers consistently find: recovery is not only about rebuilding structures, but also about restoring social, psychological, and environmental stability.
Scientific studies on post-flood recovery show that the pace and success of rebuilding depend on access to resources, community planning, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. Older residents often require additional, tailored support to navigate insurance claims, reconstruction decisions, and temporary relocation.
Building Resilience: Lessons from Pacific, Washington
The Dec. 17, 2025 flood in Pacific offers important lessons for communities across the country. To reduce risk and enhance resilience, evidence-based strategies include:
From Crisis to Preparedness
The flood in Pacific, Washington, and the damage to Roberta Hales’ home highlight a simple but urgent reality: as extreme weather becomes more common, we must design our systems with the most vulnerable in mind.
Older adults are not just “at risk”; they are central to understanding how well—or how poorly—our disaster preparedness strategies are working.
Here is the source article for this story: US Extreme Weather Washington