Low-Income Hurricane Victims Being Denied Legal Assistance

"We can all agree that equal justice under the law is a right, not a privilege.

When Hurricane Irma destroyed a quarter of the housing in the Florida Keys, Jeff Scurlock of Islamorada lost almost everything he owned. To make matters worse, his job at the mobile home park where he lived was also gone. The third strike came two months later when FEMA denied his applications for housing assistance and help replacing personal property.

Meanwhile, the residents of Seahorse RV Park in Big Pine Key thought they had fared better. Irma damaged, but did not destroy, their homes. With no place else to go, many moved back in. But their relief quickly turned to panic when a representative of the property owner taped unlawful eviction notices to their doors. “Within the next week,” the notes said, “we will be removing damaged trailers and disassembling any utility hookups.”

On the surface, disasters appear democratic, affecting entire geographic areas without regard to income. Media coverage tends to focus on the immediate crisis, leaving the impression that life is back to normal when the power comes back on and Disaster Recovery Centers close. While that narrative is attractive, it is false. After 25 years of advocating for disaster survivors in Florida, I know that low-income residents suffer much longer..."

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