Search

In New Orleans, African American communities were not only hit hard by Katrina's floods, but also by violent policing during the catastrophe and a disaster "recovery" effort that was fundamentally Anti-Black (closing of publich housing and the privatization of schools and health care). Recovery efforts were not organized along ideals of racial justice that would have addressed gaps in educational and health care resources. Instead, they were imagined along neoliberal principles that systematically excluded the city's Black population. I am interested in looking into how the Anti-Blackness of Katrina "recovery" set the stage for the virulent way COVID 19 is affecting New Orleans' African American communities.

In the US Virgin Islands, Hurricanes Maria and Irma decimated what were already decrepit public school and public health systems. Public schools and hospitals had not been property repaired and remained under-supported as of early March 2020. In places like the Island of St. Croix, residents reported the hospital having only one physicial on staff, and indicated fear of misdiagnosis and prolonged waiting times kept them from seeking health care there. The clientelle of the public health system is predominantly Afro and Hispanic Caribbean. Meanwhile, US "mainlanders" (who are predominantly white) are reported to seek their healthcare off island, something only those with ample financial resources can do. Infection rates and fatality rates for the USVI seem rather low from official reports, but it is important to find out if this is because testing itself is not readily avialable in the territory.

Media coverage from hard-hit cities suggests there is a disproportionate number of arrests and citations related to enforcement of social distancing among racial minorities.

Also, police response seems to have followed very different patterns in the case of "re-open" protests and anti-police brutality protests.

There are many vulnerabilities listed in this artifact that directly affect the community. To begin with, Bergen, Hudson, and Essex county are listed as the state's worse air quality. It also states that more than four in 10 people experience unhealthy air quality in the community within NJ.  

This artifact states the solutions that local lawmakers have come up with in order to effectively clean up the toxic waste in the Passaic River. There are many sources of resilience here as the E.P.A added to a superfund program worth $1.38 billion to clear the city of chemicals, pesticides, and all other contaminants that deterioate the Passaic River. This plan extends into the Belleville area as well. For three decades the E.P.A has used this Superfund program to clean up the countries' most hazardous waster sites. The efforts to clean up the Passaic are a result of the intesnse cleaning of the Husdon River and Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. 

The main hazard of this artifact is the chemically polluted waters of the Passiac River and its effects on the marine life. Furthermore, it ish from the river are typically eaten by the locals. The main form of precaution exercised to avoid this health hazard would be the fish exchange tents which have been set up for locals to use exchange their catches from the Passaic with farm raised tilapia.