U.S. Civil Rights Commission finds disparities in disaster response after Harvey, Maria

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission, in a new report this week, found disparities in the federal government’s disaster responses to the 2017 hurricanes Harvey and Maria. 

The report noted not only inequity between the responses to the two storms, but also in the treatment of marginalized groups who were affected.

The report pointed to “potential civil rights issues” for people of color and disabled people and highlighted issues posed by a language barrier. 

The Civil Rights Commission found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) didn’t have enough Spanish-speaking employees to accommodate Puerto Rico after Maria struck, causing delays in aid and assistance. 

It also said that documents that had been translated into Spanish were often “inaccurate and confusing” and added that sign linguists sent to the island only knew American Sign Language, rather than a common Spanish variant. 

After Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in Texas, the report said that people with disabilities had difficulty accessing specialized housing and also said that there were disparities in “the progress of recovery and rebuilding efforts” between Black, Latino and white families. 

The report also highlighted an unequal federal response between the two disasters, noting that FEMA approved $141.8 million for individual assistance for Harvey victims and just $6.2 million for Maria victims. 

Hurricane Harvey killed dozens of people, but Maria killed nearly 3000.

In a written statement, FEMA press secretary Jeremy Edwards said that the agency is “providing accessible, culturally competent information, helping to reduce barriers that communities face in accessing our programs and support and meeting people where they are.”

“FEMA is doing that work now, and we are actively working to improve how we deliver on our mission for all survivors, especially those from underserved communities. While we are proud of the progress we have made under the leadership of President Biden and Administrator Criswell, we know there is still more work to be done,” Edwards said.