August 31, 2006

Ask Amnesty: Katrina: One Year Later

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the devastation of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, which has lasting impacts for the people of the region. Many Gulf Coast residents are still no better off than they were a year ago, and some are in even worse conditions now than during the hurricane's immediate aftermath. Low-income communities and communities of color have been particularly vulnerable.

Join us for an online discussion this Thursday, August 31, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT with Amnesty International USA Southern Regional Director Jared Feuer to look at how this disaster has shed light on the gross racial and class inequities that persist in the United States. We'll also talk about what you can do to urge the U.S. government to accept responsibility for failing to protect the human rights of the hurricane's victims.

Featured Guest: Jared Feuer

From our featured guest: "I look forward to speaking to you on Thursday. "

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Question Submitted by Maddy:

We hear a lot about how lingering prejudice towards African Americans still exists in the Southern USA. Do you think that this is only confined to certain areas, or is it a regional or even national problem?

Jared Feuer answers:

Discrimination against African Americans continues to this day. This is a particularly pronounced problem in the South, but it's not a regional issue.

Among other concerns, African Americans face much higher rates of imprisonment, death penalty convictions, poverty, and access to health care.

This bias can be seen in the images from Hurricane Katrina, where those who died, were left behind, or continue to be subject to bureaucratic hurdles and lack of support in returning to their lives are disproportionately African American.

It is imperative that we build a society where everyone is fully enfranchised, and I am concerned that the rebuilding of New Orleans perpetuates this problem. It can be seen in areas, such as the Lower 9th Ward, that are forgotten while areas like the Garden District are being rebuilt, It can also be seen in the lack of resources and challenges being faced by public schools that have a higher African American enrollement.

At the same time, challenges are being faced by all people in the Gulf Coast, and in many cases, class underlies the discrimination. There are significant ties between race and class, but this should not be thought of as just a race issue.
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Question Submitted by Roman Soiko:

Why is the EPA so apathetic and ambivalent about cleaning the "New Orleans quagmire"? Isn't it's responsibilty? Or is it simple laziness?

Jared Feuer answers:

It is its responsibility.

I don't know why the government of the people and for the people is so lethargic in addressing its responsibility.

I don't know why more than $110 billion in aid has been approved by Congress, but not even half of that spent.

But in the end, it's not really a question of why. It's about what we are willing to do about it. To start, I encourage you to send the action letter from our website on the 22 million tons of toxic sediment contamination and mold. I encourage you to meet with your Members of Congress and ask them to look into why funds are not being spent, and why the region's rebuilding is so far behind. I encourage you to read about the issue, have community education events, and create publicity.

The Gulf Region is suffering, and as the government has the responsibility to alleviate much of the suffering, we have the responsibility to make sure it does so.
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Question Submitted by Cameron:

How have structures of social capital, and community identity held up within people of color and low-class communities since the devestation? Have long-time, strong community connections survived? Is this helping in the rebuilidng process?

Jared Feuer answers:

I believe that in many cases, social capital and community identity have been absolutely essential in helping communities rebuild.

In fact, in the face of bureaucratic hurdles and authorities not living up to their responsibilities to help their own people (responsibilities that the United States government is all too willing to hold other countries to when they face similar disasters), communities are filling the vacuum and are often the only people making change.

Just because the government is supposed to assume its responsibility does not mean that it should do so in a heavy-handed manner. It is supposed to be a partner, providing the resources and support needed, but it must be fully open to the leadership and expertise of the local community.

We have half of the formula right now -- the participation of the local community, and their amazing work can be seen throughout the Gulf Coast. But the other half, the full government partnership, is mostly absent.

And it is needed. Now.
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Question Submitted by molly:

Will calling for this environmental action to clean up Greater New Orleans, impede the speed of people returning and rebuilding their homes? What is being done to protect the property owners?

Jared Feuer answers:

Thank you to everyone for joining us during today's chat.

As you know, we are marking the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. A year ago, more than 80% of New Orleans was under water, in some spots as deep as 20 feet. The damage continued eastward on the Gulf Coast to Biloxi, where wind and storm surges had wiped out areas as large as twenty blocks, to Mobile, where much of the downtown was under water.

Over 1,800 people lost their lives because of this disaster.

So this is a somber anniversary, and it is one worth remembering not just for what happened, but for what must now happen to create accountability for what contributed to this disaster and what needs to happen to help people rebuild.

As to the question:

People returning must be able to do so in a safe environment. And if the environment is not safe, the government has the responsibility to create such conditions. It's true that it might take longer for people to return if the cleanup is done correctly, but if so, the government has the responsibility of ensuring that the displaced have the equal and full rights of everyone else during this displacement. Furthermore, the government must act as quickly as possible and not create undue delays, and it must use independent experts to assure that conditions are safe for a return.
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Question Submitted by John C.:

During Katrina, hospitals lost most of their critical care operating facilities. This was exacerbated by loss of - electricity, ventilation, potable water, and structural safety, etc. There must be a provision for moving patients and staff quickly and efficiently to "field" facilities where critical care services can be maintained. Are there plans for setting up emergency medical evacuation facilities well away from the devastation of hurricane and/or tropical storm areas?

Jared Feuer answers:

Most governmental authorities have plans established for emergency situations that include medical evacuation and care.

The problem is that these plans are often woefully inadequate. And in many cases, these plans often involve some level of governmental coordination of private citizens and agencies. So rather than assume responsibility, it is delegated. Loosely.

For example, local hospitals coordinated evacuation during Katrina. But faced with the magnitude of the disaster, those evacuation plans faltered, and some of the most gruesome and heartbreaking situations involved the treatment of those in need of medical care. They weren't evacuated, and those that were, were often left exposed to the elements and on their own.

It is unrealistic to expect private actors to develop comprehensive and complicated evacuation plans.

My understanding is that there are plans for avoiding the evacuation problems of those needing medical care that occurred during Katrina, but that there are not comprehensive plans for providing those services once people are evacuated.
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Question Submitted by Cameron Farlow:

What can folks outside of the New Orleans area do to effectively impact the disporportinate effects of the environmental impacts from Katrina and instituaional racism on communities of color and low-income?

Jared Feuer answers:

Remember that in this case the Federal government is the primary actor.

Private citizens, local parishes or even the state does not have the resources to address the environmental and human rights disaster that continues in the Gulf Region.

So we must hold the Federal government responsible. First, it's important to educate yourself. Go online, or ask your regional office (1-866-A-REGION) for a copy of the "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement."

This document is a listing of rights of the people (endorsed by the United States) to NOT be displaced except when it absolutely can not be prevented (not the case in New Orleans), and the responsibilities of the government to provide for those who are displaced.

Then call your Member of Congress and ask for a meeting. If you don't have time for an in-person meeting, you can send a letter through Amnesty's website, or make a call to the office of your Member of Congress and request that your opinion be provided to your Representative.

There are many issues, but the two that I might recommend for discussion are the environmental justice and the acknowledgement of the government's responsibility to implement the Guiding Principles. Ask that the government implement cleanup NOW and that it publically acknowledge its responsibility to the internally displaced as notated in the Guiding Principles.

Finally, it is important that the government open up the $66 billion in funds that have not been spent, but that it do so in an open matter that uses transparency to avoid graft and ensure that the funds are spent based on the needs of the people.
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Question Submitted by Jan Ligarde:

Could the terribly dispossed people of New Orleans possibly have grounds for a class action suit against the United States government, based on a violation of their civil rights?

Jared Feuer answers:

I think there are excellent legal questions that are going to be resolved in the years ahead.

And it's started already. In June, a lawsuit was filed seeking class status that accuses FEMA of wrongfully denying temporary housing. It also claims that when Louisiana was declared by Bush to be in a "state of emergency," FEMA was required (not merely authorized as has been claimed) to provide temporary housing assistance to all eligible recipients -- and failed to do so.

And this gets to the basic and final point.

Government agencies have treated this situation with a hands-off approach. When it's been possible to delegate, they've done so. Claiming that it's not their responsibility to ensure housing, health care, education, evacuation.

Whether it's asking people to drive themselves out of harms way, asking overwhelmed hospitals to handle their own evacuation, asking people to find their own housing, asking local and under-resourced municipalities to coordinate evacuation and relief, and blaming them when it's not performed, the basic situation is that there has been a failure of leadership.

It is up to all of us to change that. Please familiarize yourself with the Guiding Principles, and understand what is supposed to be happening in the Gulf Region so you can compare it to the facts on the ground.

The facts are not pretty.

At the same time, many in the Gulf Coast are rebuilding their community with love and every ounce of effort they have. We should support the vibrancy of their work and concern for the community without declaring the region to be lost.

Because it isn't. There's a lot of hope and positive steps occuring, but it's not enough without the support of the entire country and its government. We need to make sure our government can finally become the partner they need.

Please get involved. Call your regional office (1-866-A-REGION) and become a part of AIUSA's work on behalf of all who have been denied their human rights.

Thanks for an important discussion today.

All my best.
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