For rain and flooding specifically, new development can make it drastically worse without a huge amount of changes. It’s totally possible that a similar amount of rain 20-30 years ago wouldn’t have caused the same scale of damage, because the water wouldn’t have concentrated as fast.
Both. Money attracts corrupt individuals, but it also causes people to become corrupted in some scenarios. It can be a gradual thing, and it doesn’t always have to be drastic things like a black market kidney. Having money opens up options, some of which are more corrupt.