After Tragedy Strikes in Houston, who is More Important?
Last month, every news headline read about the destruction of the winter storm on Texas and four years ago, the same headlines were dominated by Hurricane Harvey and the damage it left behind for Houstonians. So, its no secret that Houston is in the heart of natural disasters. While the natural disasters affect every Houstonian, not every Houstonian gets the same treatment when the city picks up the broken pieces.
At first glance, you would only see the Houston diversity present in the variety of cultural cuisines to your diverse neighbors every time you walk down the street. However, if you look a little deeper into the Houston culture, the rundown and ragged homes of the minority communities became clearer. With an already large wealth gap, natural disasters widen this gap for minority communities. Wealthier communities are the first in line to receive care and treatment after every natural disaster; during the winter storm, they are the first ones to get their power and water back and after hurricanes, they are the first ones whose house fully recovers from the destruction of the hurricane. Conversely, the low-income communities, mainly filled with minorities struggling to make a living, are forgotten and as a result continue to suffer from disasters four years later. During the winter, the minority communities lived in the cold weather without power during the three days that high-income houses ran their bright lights during the day. After the hurricanes, homes in minority communities are still rebuilding years after the incident.
While the wealth gap can partly be attributed to the prevalent racial discrimination, the majority of the inequality minority communities receive after natural disasters are due to the government’s cost-benefit disaster plans. The FEMA plans the Houston government has in place puts minority communities at a disadvantage that creates a cycle of decline for those communities; wealthier communities have multiple gutters and drains that reduce flooding while poorer communities rely on front yard ditches to drain excess water. It is evident, then, who is more important to the city. Without a change in the plans or system, the natural disasters will only worsen the wealth gap for those who need help the most. So, what can we do to ensure the safety and well-being of all Houstonians instead of just some (wealthy) Houstonians?
