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Climate & Environment


HURRICANES ‘DISPROPORTIONATELY’ HARM BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS–IT’S BECAUSE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM

Written By Bilal G. Morris
2 weeks ago

Source: Bloomberg / Getty

Floridians are preparing for the worst as Hurricane Ian continues its
destructive path. 

 The National Hurricane Center has reported that around 9 a.m. the center of Ian
was located about 85 miles south-southwest of Orlando and moving at about 10mph.
With sustained winds up to 155mph and storm surges forecasted to hit 12-18 feet
in some places, the Category 4 storm could cause serious and devastating
problems for residents in central and southern Florida.



Gov. Ron DeSantis, who spoke from the state Emergency Operations Center in
Tallahassee this morning, fears for the worst and said the storm will have major
impacts on the state. 



Clearly, this is a very powerful major hurricane that’s going to have major
impacts, both on impact in southwest Florida, but then as it continues to work
through the state, said DeSantis. “It is going to have major, major impacts in
terms of wind, in terms of rain, in terms of flooding, so this is going to be a
nasty, nasty day — two days.” 

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in Florida at 2 p.m. and the NHC
believes the system could bring “catastrophic” flooding to the region.

“It’s going to be historic,” National Weather Service meteorologist Kole Fehling
told the Orlando Sentinel.

See more

> HURRICANE IAN LATEST: https://t.co/lx64W9MAMB
> 
> • Currently Cat 4 with 155 mph winds; 60 miles west of Naples, Florida
> 
> • Landfall most likely to happen between Venice Beach and Fort Myers
> 
> • Historic life-threatening storm surge of 12-16 feet possible in some coastal
> areas pic.twitter.com/YvYbODJmss
> 
> — NBC News (@NBCNews) September 28, 2022

 

There is an extra element of fear for Black folks during hurricane season. Even
though hurricanes don’t specifically target Black communities, their lasting
impact always seems to affect Black people the most. 

When Hurricane Harvey flooded Texas in 2017, the southwest Houston neighborhood
that suffered the worst flood damage was 49% nonwhite. 

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated southeast Louisiana, African American
neighborhoods suffered the most damage. 

According to E&E News, four of the seven ZIP codes that suffered the costliest
flood damage from Katrina were at least 75% Black. 

As climate change intensifies, so will hurricanes which leaves minorities and
low-income residents more vulnerable. These populations do not have the
resources to sustain themselves after such a massive natural disaster. Many do
not have the opportunity to pack their bags for another city and wait out the
storm. They also don’t have the income flexibility to rebuild after a storm
takes everything. 



“Urban flooding is a growing source of significant economic loss, social
disruption, and housing inequality,” Texas A&M University flood expert Sam Brody
told E&E News.

Many experts point to environmental racism for flooding in the U.S.
“disproportionately harming African American neighborhoods.”

Environmental oppression dates back to America’s racist redlining practices in
the 1930s. The Great Depression lead to historic housing practices which allowed
banks and insurance companies to color-code residential maps of US cities,
distinguishing neighborhoods largely based on race. Black neighborhoods were
color-coded ‘red’ and deemed hazardous or low value. This also allowed banks to
control where Black families lived in cities throughout the country by only
allowing them mortgages in ‘redlined’ areas, many of which are still
predominately Black and still largely ignored when it comes to infrastructure.

According to Nature.com, Research that tracked assistance from the U.S. Federal
Emergency Management Agency to people whose homes were damaged by hurricanes
from 2005 to 2016 found that inspectors were less likely to visit areas with
more Black residents, denying them a chance to apply for assistance. 

Those Black families who were able to apply were denied without reason almost
three times as often as white homeowners.

As Hurricane Ian reaches Florida, remember who suffers the most. The destruction
from hurricanes is never equally distributed.

SEE ALSO:

Understanding Environmental Racism And Its Effect On Black Americans

What Is Redlining And How Can It Be Solved?

25 Photos Of Hurricane Ida’s Destruction Of The Northeast Tri-State

24 photos

Tags: articleBlack peopleHurricanesNewsletter
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