John,
Now is the time for action. Sixteen years to the date that Hurricane Katrina first hit Louisiana, Category 4 Hurricane Ida has made landfall on the Gulf Coast,1 leaving residents stranded in their homes,2 facing upwards of 6 weeks with no power,3 hospitals damaged or running on back-up power,4 and a wave of our family members, friends, and loved ones displaced and seeking safety just days after a shameful end to the federal moratorium on evictions. In the wake of the George Floyd protests, we saw corporations of all kinds claiming publicly to care about Black lives. But the fact is, it’s moments like these that let us know which corporations are actually willing to put their money where their values are. That's why we're calling on hotel chains to house hurricane survivors at no cost.
As people struggle to survive for the next month, or more, without electricity, to make hard decisions about if, when, and how they can leave the parts of the region hit hardest by the storm, and to make plans that will minimize their exposure to COVID-19 in a region already experiencing a surge in the deadly Delta variant, we need hotel chains and major online lodging rental platforms to step up and provide housing for residents along the Gulf Coast who have been displaced by Hurricane Ida.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Color Of Change’s founders realized that no one—from politicians, to the media, to corporations—was afraid of disappointing Black people. This time, we have the power to change that. Join us in calling on hotel chains and major online lodging rental platforms to house people displaced by Hurricane Ida at no cost so that we can get our folks to safety now.
SIGN THE PETITION to call for Hotels to House Hurricane IDA Survivors
Make no mistake, there is nothing “natural” about this disaster. From Flint to New Orleans, predominantly Black cities have been experiencing the results of intentional disinvestment in the infrastructure our communities need to stop, slow, or respond to climate disaster for as long as those cities have existed. And the politicians and corporations in those cities have long restricted where Black people can live, placing us firmly in the initial impact zone of climate danger.
The crisis unfolding in Louisiana is the result of decades of mismanagement of federal funding, the systematic defunding of public goods, and the government’s willingness to prioritize profit over Black people’s lives. More than 2,000 miles of power transmission lines have failed, leaving more than a million people without power. According to a recent report, the areas hardest hit by the storm could take up to six weeks to see power restored. In the meantime, hospitals that were already strained are dealing with outages themselves, as well as a surge of patients with storm-related injuries. With lingering dangers like down power lines, unsafe roads and bridges, severely damaged homes across the region, and the risk of COVID-19 spreading at community shelters, we need decisive action from the corporations that claim to believe Black lives matter. Let hotel chains and online lodging rental platforms know they must come up with a plan to house those displaced by Hurricane Ida immediately.
SIGN THE PETITION to call for Hotels to House Hurricane IDA Survivors
Color Of Change was founded in response to the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina and the systemic lack of protective infrastructure as a result of environmental racism. We have demanded corporate and governmental accountability for subjecting Black communities to climate injustice ever since. We know the situation along the Gulf Coast is serious. So many of us have loved ones who are navigating the storm and whom we are worried about and trying to check in with as we speak. But we also know that in times like these we have the power to act in ways that will keep ourselves and our communities safe. Join us in calling on hotel chains and online lodging rental companies to house those displaced by Hurricane Ida at no cost, today.
SIGN THE PETITION to call for Hotels to House Hurricane IDA Survivors
Until justice is real,
Jade Magnus Oguinnake & the Color Of Change team
References:
- "New Orleans slammed by Hurricane Ida on 16th anniversary of Katrina," Axios, August 30, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/319258?t=8&akid=51957%2E4731121%2Eu8ArM7
- "Ida carves path of destruction across Louisiana, leaves low-lying towns stranded," Reuters, August 30, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/319259?t=10&akid=51957%2E4731121%2Eu8ArM7
- "It Will Take 6 Weeks To Return Power To Jefferson Parish After Ida Hit, Official Says," NPR, August 30, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/319260?t=12&akid=51957%2E4731121%2Eu8ArM7
- "Ida slams Louisiana hospitals brimming with virus patients," ABC News, August 29, 2021 https://act.colorofchange.org/go/319261?t=14&akid=51957%2E4731121%2Eu8ArM7
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please help keep our movement strong.
