WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2021) ASHINGTON, September 5 (Sputnik), Barrington M. Salmon - Communities of color in the US state of Louisiana that suffered lack of sustainable jobs, food and housing long before the coronavirus pandemic are moving "from trauma to trauma," as they are facing yet another crisis following the devastating Hurricane Ida, Ashley Shelton, a member of the Black Southern WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point news / Sputnik - 05th September, 2021) omen's Collective, said in an interview with Sputnik.
Hurricane Ida that switched overnight from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane made landfall on the US state with ferocious winds clocking 150 miles per hour in late August � exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina decimated the region. Floodwaters engulfed homes and businesses while 1 million customers were left without electricity and suffered through shortages of food, water and gasoline.
"Long before the COVID-19 global health crisis shuttered schools and companies, communities of color were victimized by over-policing, mass incarceration, under-resourced schools, aging infrastructure, lack of good paying jobs, and unaffordable or inaccessible health insurance. This has created a sea of suffering, particularly among groups long impacted by systemic racism and social exclusion. But now, with toll of Hurricane Ida yet to be tallied, we appear to be moving from trauma to trauma," Shelton said.
The deadly hurricane has forced many people out of their homes and they now must deal with the fallout of yet another crisis while they are still recovering from the consequences of the fourth COVID-19 wave that exacerbated joblessness, food, and housing insecurity, the activist, who is also the executive director of the Louisiana-based Power Coalition for Equality and Justice civic group, said.
"Adding insult to injury, Hurricane Ida strikes 16 years after Hurricane Katrina, leaving many of us to wonder what, if anything, has changed. Are we better prepared to weather this natural disaster over a decade after Katrina forever changed lives?" she noted.
Shelton believed that authorities at all levels must absorb the lessons of the past and respond to the crisis differently, noting that "recovery and changes must center communities that have been left behind in previous efforts."
"Communities of color, low-income areas, and rural communities must be prioritized. We must also invest in a climate change workforce that can respond when we must rebuild, which due to climate change is [taking place] annually as we face storms, hurricanes, flooding and more," she added.
Organizations seeking to offer humanitarian relief need to direct funds to "grassroots groups who are closest to the pain of marginalization," Shelton said, adding that media, in turn, should center the voices and perspectives of the local community, particularly women of color who are more likely to "have a pulse on what is needed" at this moment.
