Low-income renters face an increased risk of eviction after a natural disaster. Most cities and states don’t offer any protection.
A Sonoma County, California ordinance passed last month bars landlords from evicting tenants during weather disasters and other declared emergencies. The first-in-the-nation “disaster-triggered” moratorium aims to prevent waves of evictions similar to those that impacted residents in Florida during the 2021 hurricane season. The Sonoma ordinance is the result of activism from the region’s large agricultural worker community, who suffered after 2017’s Tubbs Fire.
In a Bloomberg CityLab article, Patrick Sisson explains how natural disasters lead to evictions. “Lack of internet access can cut off the ability to pay rent online, and those who evacuated can’t just drop off rent checks. Jobs are upended and schools close, putting childcare strains on working parents. And damage to homes and workplaces continue to exact a lingering economic toll on the afflicted area long after emergency response is completed.” Compounding the problem, a study found that rents go up by 4 percent to 6 percent in impacted areas, and evictions rise sharply.
Supporters of the Sonoma law hope it can be a model for other communities, particularly in vulnerable areas like south Texas and Florida.
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Journal of the American Planning Association