I've worked in emergency management/disaster services for almost nine years. In my field, working with nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and various levels of government. All of my colleagues from this industry know that poor people are disproportionately affected by disasters because the places where they live are cheap and they are cheap because they are in areas with higher risk, such as low lying areas or near hazardous industries such as landfills, chemical plants, etc and that they do not have the same resources that more affluent families can afford to protect, withstand, and recover from disaster. I have lectured, trained, and discussed how we need to do better by these communities but not once, in all nine years, have I EVER connected this all too common issue with environmental racism. It's jaw dropping and eye opening. And when I discuss this with my colleagues, it will be provocative and I don't expect that all of my colleagues will accept this name for it. But it has to be done. We can't solve an issue that we can't name.
