FEMA, the government agency responsible for helping Americans recover from disasters, often helps white victims — and their neighborhoods — more than people of color, even when the amount of damage is the same, a growing body of research shows. nyti.ms/3w2PQ5o
Roy Vaussine and Charlotte Biagas live in similar homes in Louisiana. When Hurricane Laura hit last August, their damage was nearly identical, according to an independent estimate.
FEMA gave Vaussine $17,000 in assistance. Biagas and her husband, Norman, got $7,000.
Norman Biagas said that his neighborhood, which is predominantly African American, is recovering more slowly than other areas nearby where most of the residents are white. nyti.ms/3w2PQ5o
The impact is long-lasting. White people in counties with significant disaster damage that received FEMA help saw their personal wealth jump years later while Black residents lost wealth, research published in 2018 shows.
As climate change fuels more frequent and more destructive storms, wildfires and other disasters, marginalized communities tend to be both the most exposed to damage and the least able to recover financially. nyti.ms/3w2PQ5o
FEMA declined to comment on individual cases, citing privacy concerns, but said it had created an internal working group to investigate. In April, it asked the public for examples of policies “that perpetuate systemic barriers” as well as ideas for improvement.
Read more about how federal disaster relief often helps white people more than others in the U.S. nyti.ms/3w2PQ5o
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