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The California Fires and Poor Families: What’s the REAL Disaster?
Across cultures and geographic locations, natural disasters have always affected poor families more than they have affluent people, and the California fires are no different. Poor families are more vulnerable to these blazes and the devastating effects they have on lives.
“When it comes to disasters, differences in vulnerability can affect the magnitude and duration of impacts like the loss of property, livelihoods, or services.”
— from a 2018 study conducted on more than 70,000 census tracts in the United States
The problem isn’t only the fires themselves but the socio-economic context that produces long-lasting disaster, affecting some groups of people disproportionately more than others.
Why are poor families particularly devastated by the California fires?
Financial Status: The Difference Between Life and Death
When it comes to the California fires, poor families face obstacles both before and after the catastrophe that many wealthier families never have to worry about. For example, families who struggle with poverty can’t afford preventative measures, such as tree-trimming, that can spell the difference between an under-burn and a wildfire.
