More Inclusive Help Needed in Future Emergencies, Oxfam Tells Congress

Posted: 6 December 2005

Federal and state governments should work much more closely with immigrant communities both before and during any future disasters, Oxfam America declared in testimony presented to Congress today.

The woefully inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina showed how ill-prepared emergency preparedness agencies were to help people who don’t speak English and are unfamiliar with local institutions and information channels, according to joint testimony by Oxfam and one of its partners, the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA). Their statement was delivered to the Congressional Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina.

The two organizations urge agency officials to educate themselves about the communities they serve and develop preparedness plans based on that knowledge. For instance, officials should know which languages are spoken in a community and should make emergency information available in those languages. They should also disseminate that information through a variety of channels used by immigrant communities, such as church networks and radio programs. And translators should be available during emergencies to provide quick and accurate information.

Furthermore, all immigrants should have access to shelter, transportation, and other services regardless of their immigration status, said Oxfam and MIRA, and officials should announce that survivors can seek assistance without fear of prosecution or deportation,

In separate testimony, Bill Stallworth, a city councilor in East Biloxi, Miss., with whom Oxfam has worked closely after Katrina, expressed continued frustration at the pace of government assistance to the city’s poorest neighborhoods, which were hardest hit by the storm. He points out that while the Federal Emergency Management Agency eventually did set up a disaster recovery center in East Biloxi several weeks after the hurricane, the aid it is providing continues to be inadequate. Among his community’s ongoing needs are temporary housing—especially trailers—bedding, bicycles for transportation, and medical assistance, particularly for people suffering from chronic illnesses who need help obtaining prescription medicines.

He says East Biloxi will also need help rebuilding the homes people have lost—many of which are not covered by insurance—as well as help with reestablishing the industries that employed many residents, including the casinos and a host of small businesses.