Post Disaster Inequities
I recently submitted a report to the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program on equity concerns in the aftermath of hurricanes that moved through Houston and the Florida Panhandle a few years ago. In light of the raging fires out west and the persistent storms and hurricanes in the Gulf, i want to highlight some of the concerns that emerged during the interviews that informed that report (held in August and September 2019), as well as those that came up during interviews i held with 6 Black and Native/Indigenous leaders in South Carolina and North Carolina about the lingering impacts of 2018’s Hurricane Florence (held in January 2019).
Why do i want to highlight concerns?
Because time and time again, the same issues come up in the lead up to, during and following disasters. Black and Native/Indigenous people are systematically left to fend for themselves, resources and protections are consistently directed to white and/or middle and upper class communities, vultures prey on the misfortunes of those most vulnerable with few repercussions and in spite of all this, Black folks are criminalized when they have the audacity to seek safety, secure food, advocate for themselves and more. So the drivers of these concerns, the underlying forces, must be stopped. Immediate needs must be met. Long term efforts toward recovery, resilience and resistance must be implemented. AND we must fight for radical systems change, which requires that we also seed the new society that we want now (elements of the system that are healing, regenerative, grounded in the best of the wisdoms of our ancients and Indigenous societies, etc.).
These concerns - again raised in the course of interviewing local leaders in Florence (SC), Pembroke (NC), Bay County (FL), Houston (TX) - include:
Systems of disaster recovery are designed for people classified as middle and upper class. Consistently and across the board, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) processes, rules and requirements were cumbersome, unclear and favored homeowners and people with good credit.
Elected officials, appointees and developers are more interested in using the disaster as an opportunity to relocate people they no longer want on coveted lands. In Panama City, for example, one public official reportedly expressed interest in converting housing stock from predominantly rentals to privately owned homes and therefore made no plans to rebuild public housing at the level it existed. It was also reported that government contractors use the disaster to sell property they otherwise were unable to sell because of contractual relationships with state and local governments. In other places, property owners seized the opportunity to force out residents from apartments and houses by not making necessary repairs. When residents finally did leave, owners made repairs and increased the rent, making it unaffordable for people to return.
The most vulnerable people and communities sustained multiple emotional and physical impacts of resulting traumas with little support. These groups included youth and children, elderly, disabled/differently abled and more. People in Florida and South Carolina reported that nursing homes moved residents with little to any communication with their families about where they were relocated, creating considerable confusion and the pain of uncertainty and disconnection with support networks. Children had to move to different schools, while facing pressure of having to adjust following losses of much (if not all) of what was most familiar to them.
These disasters were seized upon to deny human and civil rights where there were already divisions and populations that view themselves better and more worthy than others. Residents in Bay County had to fight hard and twist arms to get voting stations set up in largely black communities. When they finally got approval, one station (where there previously were 8) was able to open for only 1 day. A reportedly low turnout resulted from the challenge community members faced as a result of debris-blocked roads, flooded cars and lack of accommodations for absentee voting
.Exclusion by proxy from public gatherings. In one town, the city’s elected leadership then held a town hall but made it difficult for Black residents to attend because interested persons would need to secure a ticked online and in advance of the event. Because many Black residents remained without power, this was quite a challenge. In North Carolina, it was reported that public notices were often in small print, posted in places that were difficult to see and at times/days that were inaccessible because of work and/or family commitments.
The economic impacts were devastating. People were displaced from employment (largely low paying service jobs) and housing. Many lost cars and other means of transportation. No longer living in their homes, many were left to the whims and generosity of people who offered space for the placement of temporary lodging (i.e., tents) and withdrew that support when their generosity ran out (not when the need was addressed). One local business in Florida pushed a tent city out of their parking lot when customers complained. A local church offered its parking lot for a specific timeframe and once that time expired, they bulldozed the tents without forewarning. Private businesses and citizens offered what they could (perhaps), but several counties didn’t seem to make a commitment to the long-term support/care/vision for how the needs of populations would be addressed.
Companies took advantage of people suffering the impacts of storms. In Florida, community members reported that the Florida Public Utilities company charged people for use of power even when the power was off. Individuals that were able to advocate for themselves, were able to have the concerns addressed. But those unable to advocate were left with high bills and power shutoffs. In each area, there were numerous reports of price gouging, theft and destruction by unlicensed contractors, and so many other ways that people’s vulnerabilities were exploited.
These are only a few of the many injustices experienced by Black and Native/Indigenous families and communities. And this doesn’t even include issues raised about other vulnerable populations, such as undocumented immigrants, transgendered people, disabled/differently abled people and more. We are facing a climate crisis in which extreme weather events will occur with greater frequency and intensity. This means that unless and until we address all of these concerns (among many more) AND the ideology, culture, systems, policies and practices that perpetuate them, they will persist and worsen with each disaster season.
So that do we do?
The underlying causes of the climate crisis are the same as those that led to settler colonialism, modern systems of enslavement, environmental injustices and other harmful systems of destruction, extraction and waste. So addressing the concerns mentioned above, as well as other injustices faced by Black, Brown and Native/Indigenous People will require nothing short of a complete and radical overhaul of society as we know it. This moment we are in is radicalizing so many people in such beautiful ways. AND it is fueling a growing reactionary, white nationalist movement that is energized by the president and many others who’ve quietly moved into strategic positions in government and other sectors. Some of what we can do has already been articulated in an earlier blog, such as grounding in principles, forming study groups, and engaging in other activities that seed the new society we want. Also, learning from others who have fought and won epochal struggles is incredibly important. As we learn and plan, we also need to 1) fight for our lives and defend those historically oppressed, exploited, marginalized and mistreated, 2) engage strategically in direct action, 3) advocate for anti-racist and climate friendly policies and practices, 4) heal that which needs healing in our bodies, families and communities, 5) and listen to the ancestors, elders, waters, lands and animals for how to live well.
Doing something in the direction of systems change and addressing the climate crisis in just and equitable ways is better than doing nothing. And we can all do something to move us closer to the change that is needed and inevitable. For some, it may involve grounding in a set of core principles of equity in emergency management, advocating for just policies at all levels of government and working within your/our families and communities to advocate for ourselves, supporting one another and being prepared (check out In the Eye of the Storm). For others, it may mean studying, organizing, mobilizing and strategically planning and engaging in various forms of direct action. And still for others, it might involve consuming less, advocating for the affordability of renewable energy sources, electing local officials with commitments to implementing climate-friendly policies and practices, reducing waste, etc.
The bottom line is do what you can do, while being anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-chauvinist, anti-exploitive in thought and deed. And then build on that.
Thanks for reading.
Take good care.