Research Shows White Communities Gain Affluence After Climate Disasters

Research into the distribution of financial aid after climate disasters reveals that some of the nation’s most disadvantaged communities are often overlooked when it comes to disaster assistance resources, reports Amy Green for Inside Climate News.

“One 2018 study found that while white residents tend to gain affluence over time after a catastrophe, Blacks and other residents of color lose wealth. In counties where very little damage occurred between 1999 and 2013, researchers found that white residents gained an average of $26,000 in wealth but reaped nearly five times as much, about $126,000, in counties that suffered $10 billion in damage. By contrast, people of other races, who gained wealth in areas spared from significant damage, lost ground in hard-hit places. Black residents in damaged areas lost $27,000 in wealth, Latinos lost $29,000 and people of other races such as Asians lost $10,000.”

According to the same study, both public (FEMA) and private insurance programs are aimed at “restoring restoring property or wealth, an approach favoring those with more property and the ability to pay for insurance.” Lower-income residents impacted by climate disasters, meanwhile, suffer other related losses such as jobs and increased rents that assistance programs do not cover.

A 2020 report from the National Advisory Council recommended that FEMA create an “equity standard” to ensure its grants reach the communities that need them most. “ The document also suggested incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion into FEMA practices, recruiting an inclusive workforce and providing fair and equitable opportunities for professional advancement within the agency.” The agency is already incorporating some of these changes.