abandoning work to address equity issues in disasters

Elections have outcomes and therefore we are in a new era of ignoring social science and any past practice that recognized that minority and disadvantaged communities suffer more from disasters than their more affluent and white neighbors. It is just a fact that has been thoroughly researched time and again. The “equity” that is being sought now is to be sure that whites, especially white men, are not being discriminated against by rewarding resources to others who might be more in need. It is a sad place to be…but, here we are.

See the text below that calls for true equity in distributing disaster resources. Since Presidential policy has overturned such actions, one can only expect that if disasters survivors are looking for more help, they will need to look to their state and local jurisdictions for assistance.

LDF Calls on FEMA to Protect Black Communities, Avoid Discrimination in Assistance to Recent Tornado Victims

On May 15, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and the NAACP sent a letter to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urging the agency to uphold its civil rights obligations during and after national disasters. The joint letter focused on the agency’s obligations to Black communities that have faced persistent racial discrimination in federal disaster recovery programs. The following day, a system of tornadoes swept through several states, killing dozens of people and injuring many others. In St. Louis, Missouri, homes in Black communities and many others were destroyed by the storms. As of Friday, May 23, FEMA has been deployed to some areas to assess damages.

Demetria McCain, Director of Policy at the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) issued the following statement:

“Because Black neighborhoods already often face persistent disinvestment, weaker infrastructure, and limited access to emergency resources, timely response after a national disaster can be a matter of life and death. While there has been widespread damage across several states from the recent storms, the impact on Black communities is already clear. The tornado ripped through several predominantly Black neighborhoods in St. Louis, including the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood where, out of 5,000 buildings in the tornado’s path, at least 4,400 sustained some damage.

“As LDF made clear in a recent letter to FEMA, Black Americans have long faced racial discrimination in federal disaster recovery programs. As the United States heads into the summer — when tornados, hurricanes, and other national disasters are likely to increase — there is a clear need for the agency to take more proactive steps to protect Black communities before, during, and after a disaster event and to ensure assistance is fairly offered to the most vulnerable immediately after a disaster.

“We are incredibly concerned by FEMA’s delayed response to the recent storms. The Trump administration’s cuts to FEMA and elimination of fair housing and civil rights assessment requirements from other disaster recovery funding streams will put all communities at risk, but particularly Black communities.

“We urge FEMA to swiftly implement assistance for survivors of the recent storms so they can begin the rebuilding process and urge the Trump administration to ensure that FEMA and other agencies have the staffing and authorities necessary to ensure rapid and equitable disaster response that will assist all survivors.”