Extensive rebuilding efforts are ongoing as Florida looks to rebound from Hurricane Ian’s devastation across the state. However, Black residents in lower-income neighborhoods say they have felt wholly forgotten regarding receiving help. Sounds familiar?
Black residents from Dunbar and River Park in Naples, Florida, spoke to CNN about their experiences of not being able to get to relief centers because bus services aren’t running in those areas. They also complained about the rescue centers being too far for people who don’t have transportation. These same people were also the last to get power back. Curtis Williams, a resident from River Park, told CNN the town never got an evacuation order.
“Not one city employee, police or whatever, came through the neighborhood before the flood water and said there was a mandatory evacuation, not one,” he said. “They could have easily rode down here with a bullhorn, before the storm, and say, ‘you people need to vacate.’ They didn’t do that.”
Source: Echoes of Katrina? Black Fla. Residents Feel Forgotten In Hurricane Ian Relief Efforts
