This couple moved to Bangor to flee climate change in Texas

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 12, 2026

Shawn and Sara had lived in Austin since 2006 and 2011, respectively. After more than a decade in Texas, the couple decided it was time to leave and move somewhere entirely new. “We had a lot of reasons to move…but the one that hit us the hardest was the weather,” Shawn said. “We were facing our fourth catastrophic event in five years and nobody was doing anything to address it. The couple are one example in a growing trend of climate migrants, people who forcibly or voluntarily leave their home due to extreme weather events or climate change, such as wildfires, sea level rise or hurricanes. From 2008 to 2024, more than 22 million people in the U.S. were displaced by environmental disasters.