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The lowest income people are often the hardest hit by disasters – in part because they are least financially able to evacuate prior to a disaster. 1/
Evacuating is expensive – it requires a car with a full tank of gas, it means missed days of work. If shelters are full, it means needing $ for a motel room. Even the need to have a credit card at hotel check-in can be a barrier for low income people. 2/
Rent was due today for many low-income families. Paychecks and savings accounts are depleted, leaving very little for extra unexpected expenses like an evacuation. Seniors and people with disabilities can have an even harder time: americamagazine.org/politics-socie… 3/
People experiencing homelessness and living on the streets often don’t have access to resources or information on evacuations. Special outreach and attention by city/state officials is crucial to ensuring the most vulnerable people survive the storm. 4/
Of 2000 people that died from Hurricane Katrina, almost all were black & low income, 3/4 were seniors. 3000 people died from Hurricane Maria, mostly low-income seniors & people with disabilities. 5/
Horrifying and stark reminders of how our country’s disaster recovery and rebuilding systems fail the lowest-income and most vulnerable people. We can and must do better. Let’s start now. 6/6
The disparities unfortunately continue long after evacuation. After each recent hurricane - from Harvey to Michael - many of the lowest-income and most vulnerable survivors became homeless after (and as a direct result of) the storm.
Almost 2 years after Hurricane Harvey, the # of people experiencing homelessness in Houston increased for 1st time in 7 years. Nearly 20% of people living unsheltered in city cited the hurricane & FEMA’s lack of assistance as cause of their homelessness.
Homelessness rates increased by double digits ‘17-‘18 in CT & MA, where large numbers of Puerto Ricans fled after Hurricane Maria, with no adequate housing assistance from FEMA. When FEMA assistance ended, they entered local homeless systems.
FEMA’s immediate post-disaster housing assistance, putting displaced people up in hotels or motels, often doesn’t work for the lowest-income survivors.
Many hotels, sometimes those that are closest to jobs or otherwise most convenient, don’t participate in FEMA’s program. Those that do charge prohibitive (for low-income survivors) fees on top of what FEMA pays.
Others participating hotels/motels require security deposits or credit cards at check-in, which serve as barriers for low-income families who have already depleted their limited savings.
For the last 2 years, FEMA has refused to stand up Disaster Housing Assistance Program of short-term rental assistance. Instead, they pressured those survivors who are able to access FEMA-funded motels to leave the motels under arbitrary deadlines...
...regardless of whether their homes are repaired or if they have secured alternative housing. When FEMA evicted survivors of Hurricane Maria from motels last summer, hundreds became homeless. huffpost.com/entry/hurrican…
Disparities continue in rebuilding after disasters. Time and again we have seen federal disaster rebuilding dollars favor higher income white communities over lower-income black communities – from Hurricane Katrina to more recently after Hurricane Harvey.
Programs awarding rebuilding $ based on pre-storm value of home rather than on cost to resconstruct– as in New Orleans after Katrina - discriminates against lower-income black families that disproportionately live in economically distressed communities.
After Hurricane Harvey, white families in higher income neighborhoods received about $60,000 per resident of rebuilding assistance. Black families in poorer neighborhoods received, on average, $84/person: citylab.com/equity/2018/10…
The bottom line: our disaster housing recovery/rebuilding system was designed for the middle-class. The system never contemplated or accommodated for the unique needs of the lowest-income people and communities, and so it consistently leaves them behind.
It’s time for wholesale redesign of our disaster system to prioritize the lowest-income and most vulnerable people and achieve equitable and complete recovery & rebuilding. Our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition is working to do just that. Join us. 
