In recent years, California has experienced extreme wildfires, heat waves, and the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic. What has become particularly clear from the devastation of the pandemic in low-income communities of color is that disaster risk does not equate to equal opportunity.
The latest evidence of this came last weekend when the dam on the Pajaro River failed, flooding a small town mostly inhabited by migrant workers and their families. By an ominous coincidence, the levee breach occurred on March 12, 95 years to the day the St. Francis Dam failed catastrophically due to faulty foundations and other design flaws.
The dam’s failure caused massive flooding in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, killing nearly 500 people, many of them undocumented farm workers. It was the second-greatest loss of life in California history, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, and is still considered one of the worst civil engineering disasters in American history.
As with the Saint Francis Dam, the failure of the Pajaro Dam was not just a “natural disaster”. Government officials have known for decades that the dam is fragile, but have never prioritized repairs, largely because their cost-benefit analysis can’t assess a low-income city’s losses. As Stu Townsley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Times this weekend, “You basically get the construction costs in the Bay Area, but the real estate value isn’t that great.” made, but of course too late to avoid a catastrophe.
The task now is not only to hold officials accountable for the poor planning decisions that made possible the bankruptcy, but also to ensure that aid and recovery are carried out fairly.
The relief effort after the failure of the Sint Franciscus Dam is an instructive lesson in doing it wrong. For example, the Red Cross largely refused to treat Mexican flood victims; Instead, local government officials enlisted the help of La Cruz Azul de San Fernando, a local charity that provided mutual aid to Latino victims in racially segregated shelters and provided services coordinated by translators. The City of Los Angeles, which operates the Saint Francis Dam, was later accused of giving lower payouts to Hispanic farm workers to cover forfeited losses and funeral expenses.
This is not just a long gone story. In our research on wildfires in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Sonoma counties in 2017 and 2020, we found that undocumented migrants were rendered invisible by cultural norms about who are considered worthy disaster victims. A pattern emerged from interviews with victims and analysis of government data: resources are funneled to wealthier individuals, local immigration rights groups must provide basic services such as linguistic access to emergency information in Spanish and indigenous dialects, job protection for farm workers at risk of going heavy smoking, and the creation of a disaster relief fund for undocumented migrants who are ineligible for federal aid.
Due to their marginalized social status, undocumented migrants are particularly vulnerable to disasters and require special attention when planning and responding to disasters. They are affected by racial discrimination, economic exploitation and hardship, fear of deportation and communication problems. Emergency officials routinely overlook the state’s most vulnerable populations as they prepare for foreseeable wildfires, floods and other disasters, according to a 2019 report from a state auditor.
Stronger protection is required. For example, improved voice access for emergency information; including disaster planning programs and climate adaptation; disaster planning funding for community-based migrant organizations; better health and safety regulations; a permanent nationwide disaster fund for undocumented immigrants to cover unemployment and medical expenses, housing and property replacement, and hazard pay for those working in hazardous conditions during a disaster.
Wildfires, heat waves, floods and pandemics do not discriminate. Nor are these catastrophes unexpected, isolated phenomena. Disaster risks and disaster interventions are ultimately political in nature. As California experiences a rapid increase in the number and severity of challenges related to our changing climate, we must engage and engage all Californians in preparing for a sustainable future. By addressing the crisis in Pajaro in an equitable and inclusive manner, we have the opportunity to do things right for the current residents and for future generations.
Michael Méndez is an Andrew Carnegie Fellow and Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning and Policy at UC Irvine. Manuel Pastor is a professor of sociology and director of the Equity Research Institute at USC.
Source: LA Times
Roger Stone is an author and opinion journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He is known for his controversial and thought-provoking views on a variety of topics, and has a talent for engaging readers with his writing.
