Extreme Weather Survivors Co-Founder Recognized for Building a National Community of Disaster Survivors United in Recovery and Advocacy

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TIME Magazine today named Sierra Lindsey Kos, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Extreme Weather Survivors (EWS), to its annual TIME100 Climate list, recognizing 100 influential leaders driving climate action. The full list of honorees and related profiles is available now at https://time.com/collection/time100-climate/2026/; read Sierra’s profile here: https://time.com/collection/time100-climate/2026/sierra-lindsey-kos/.

Kos is recognized for her work building a national community where people whose lives have been upended by extreme weather can find support, help one another recover, and turn shared experiences into meaningful change. After being exposed to smoke during Oregon’s 2020 Labor Day wildfires, Kos was inspired to start EWS, which she co-leads with Chris Kocher. Today, the organization connects more than 2,500 survivors of wildfires, floods, extreme heat, deadly air pollution, drought, and hurricanes.

“Extreme Weather Survivors launched with a simple goal: to ensure no one recovers alone,” said Sierra Lindsey Kos, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Extreme Weather Survivors. “Every day, I see people who are still rebuilding their own lives make time to help someone else. They share advice, listen when things feel overwhelming, and speak up so another family won’t face the same obstacles. Our survivors come from different places and political backgrounds, but they agree on so much: keeping their families safe, helping their neighbors, and having a fair chance to recover. I am proud to share this recognition with the survivors who have entrusted us with their stories, as well as with my co-founder, Chris Kocher, and the entire EWS team. I am grateful to TIME for recognizing what we are building together.”

For survivors, the end of an emergency often marks the beginning of a long and isolating recovery. Families face questions about insurance, housing, health, and financial assistance while coping with the loss of loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. EWS connects people navigating those challenges with others who understand them firsthand, creating a community where hard-earned knowledge becomes practical help for the next person.

This summer, EWS expanded that work by launching its first-ever voter engagement tour, the Stolen Summers initiative, which brings survivors together with artists, organizers, and local partners to tell the stories behind extreme weather’s toll. The tour featured 50 events across 20 states to honor the people, places, and ways of life lost to disasters; support local recovery efforts; and create opportunities for survivors to be heard and take action together.

The connections built through EWS extend to its advocacy, bringing survivors’ firsthand experiences directly to policymakers. TIME’s profile highlights the organization’s role in urging lawmakers to pass the 21st Century Road to Housing Act in July, which establishes a more predictable framework for federal assistance following major disasters. In California, EWS advocated for two bills establishing first-in-the-nation standards for smoke-damage testing, both signed into law in September. These efforts turn challenges shared across the survivor community into solutions that can help families nationwide.

A filmmaker, advertising creative, and presidential campaign veteran, Kos has spent her career using personal stories to illuminate the impact of public policy. She previously served as President Barack Obama’s video director and producer and helped tell the stories behind the Affordable Care Act. Her experience also includes executive producing a documentary that premiered at Sundance and leading creative, communications, public affairs, and marketing teams across technology and politics.

At EWS, Kos brings that storytelling experience and her own experience of extreme weather to a growing community united by a commitment to helping one another, and making the process of recovery better for those who come next.

Extreme Weather Survivors is a national network of individuals and families directly impacted by floods, wildfires, hurricanes, extreme heat, and other climate-fueled disasters. Through storytelling, advocacy, and community engagement, survivors work to raise awareness of the growing impacts of extreme weather and advance solutions that help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

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SOURCE Extreme Weather Survivors