The guidelines – issued earlier this month by the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and Transportation – apply federal civil rights laws to state and local governments that receive federal funding to recover from disasters.

The guidance notes that “while emergencies and disasters affect all people, the ability of communities of color to access critical recovery programs, activities, and services often has been hampered.” It cites several instances following recent disasters where minority residents were discriminated against.

The federal guidelines focus on five key areas:

• Reaffirm Commitment to Nondiscrimination Protections. State and local governments should ensure they have clear non-discrimination policies in place in the event of a natural disaster. These policies should be clearly posted. Governments should also have a central point of contact to whom residents can submit complaints.
• Engage with and Include Diverse Racial, Ethnic, and Limited English Proficient Populations. Government officials should directly engage with minority communities so that they understand the programs that are available to them. These communities should also be included in disaster-planning efforts. Outreach should involve contacts with community leaders, faith-based organizations and ethnic media outlets.
• Provide meaningful access to individuals with limited English proficiency. Government agencies should include all materials in multiple language and provide translation and interpretation services so residents who do not speak English can participate in disaster relief programs.
• Include immigrant communities in preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts. Noting that immigrant communities may be reluctant to take advantage of federally funded disaster programs, the guidelines remind state and local governments that they should work closely with these groups regardless of immigration status.
• Collect and analyze data. State and local governments should collect data that assess the needs of minority communities and use that information in their disaster response planning.

The guidance specifically cites the landmark agreement between the Latino Action Network, NAACP, Fair Share Housing Center, and the State of New Jersey designed to fix major flaws in the state's Sandy recovery programs that caused black and Latino families to be improperly denied federally funded assistance.

That settlement requires the Christie administration to provide $240 million in direct housing assistance to low-income households to ensure that storm-damaged communities are rebuilt in ways that expand opportunities for working families, seniors and those with disabilities. The settlement also required the state to re-evaluate aid applications that had been improperly denied and to adopt a comprehensive outreach plan to reach New Jersey residents who are not proficient in English.

“Our experience shows that Latino and other minority communities often face significant barriers – including language barriers – preventing them from taking advantage of disaster recovery programs,” says Christian Estevez, president of the Latino Action Network. “We applaud the federal government's work to ensure that our approach to disaster recovery becomes a national model and particularly appreciate the attention the federal government is paying to residents who do not speak English.”

“We fought hard to ensure that low-income communities and families of color would have the same opportunity as everyone else to obtain access to federal assistance that can help them rebuild their lives,” says Mike McNeil, housing chair for the New Jersey NAACP. “We are pleased that the approach we pioneered for equitable rebuilding after a major disaster is being promoted across the country.”

Click here to view our full coverage on disaster risk and recovery for Hurricane Season 2016.

CHERRY HILL, NJ—New rules aimed at ensuring that federally funded disaster recovery efforts protect the rights of minority communities are getting their first test in the response to Louisiana's current catastrophic flooding—and the guidelines build directly from a landmark 2014 federal civil rights settlement in New Jersey.

That settlement, which the Cherry Hill, NJ-based Fair Share Housing Center, the New Jersey NAACP and the Latino Action Network signed with the State of New Jersey in 2014, fixed serious problems with the Christie administration's Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts, the Fair Share Housing Center says.

Those shortcomings threatened to leave thousands of low-income and minority families behind in the rebuilding process.

“The federal government is taking the lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy to ensure that low-income families and minority communities' rights are protected after a disaster,” says Kevin Walsh, executive director of the Fair Share Housing Center. “No one should ever be denied help in rebuilding because of the color of their skin, the neighborhood they live in or the fact that they don't speak English as a first language. With severe storms like Sandy becoming more common, it's important that every family gets access to the help they need. These guidelines set clear expectations that states and local governments have to proactively plan to make sure the needs of every community impacted by a disaster, including African-American and Latino communities too often overlooked in disaster recovery.”

The guidelines – issued earlier this month by the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and Transportation – apply federal civil rights laws to state and local governments that receive federal funding to recover from disasters.

The guidance notes that “while emergencies and disasters affect all people, the ability of communities of color to access critical recovery programs, activities, and services often has been hampered.” It cites several instances following recent disasters where minority residents were discriminated against.

The federal guidelines focus on five key areas:

• Reaffirm Commitment to Nondiscrimination Protections. State and local governments should ensure they have clear non-discrimination policies in place in the event of a natural disaster. These policies should be clearly posted. Governments should also have a central point of contact to whom residents can submit complaints.
• Engage with and Include Diverse Racial, Ethnic, and Limited English Proficient Populations. Government officials should directly engage with minority communities so that they understand the programs that are available to them. These communities should also be included in disaster-planning efforts. Outreach should involve contacts with community leaders, faith-based organizations and ethnic media outlets.
• Provide meaningful access to individuals with limited English proficiency. Government agencies should include all materials in multiple language and provide translation and interpretation services so residents who do not speak English can participate in disaster relief programs.
• Include immigrant communities in preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts. Noting that immigrant communities may be reluctant to take advantage of federally funded disaster programs, the guidelines remind state and local governments that they should work closely with these groups regardless of immigration status.
• Collect and analyze data. State and local governments should collect data that assess the needs of minority communities and use that information in their disaster response planning.

The guidance specifically cites the landmark agreement between the Latino Action Network, NAACP, Fair Share Housing Center, and the State of New Jersey designed to fix major flaws in the state's Sandy recovery programs that caused black and Latino families to be improperly denied federally funded assistance.

That settlement requires the Christie administration to provide $240 million in direct housing assistance to low-income households to ensure that storm-damaged communities are rebuilt in ways that expand opportunities for working families, seniors and those with disabilities. The settlement also required the state to re-evaluate aid applications that had been improperly denied and to adopt a comprehensive outreach plan to reach New Jersey residents who are not proficient in English.

“Our experience shows that Latino and other minority communities often face significant barriers – including language barriers – preventing them from taking advantage of disaster recovery programs,” says Christian Estevez, president of the Latino Action Network. “We applaud the federal government's work to ensure that our approach to disaster recovery becomes a national model and particularly appreciate the attention the federal government is paying to residents who do not speak English.”

“We fought hard to ensure that low-income communities and families of color would have the same opportunity as everyone else to obtain access to federal assistance that can help them rebuild their lives,” says Mike McNeil, housing chair for the New Jersey NAACP. “We are pleased that the approach we pioneered for equitable rebuilding after a major disaster is being promoted across the country.”

Click here to view our full coverage on disaster risk and recovery for Hurricane Season 2016.