FEMA Administrator Assures ‘All Communities’ Will Get Hurricane Ian Relief Following Harris’ ‘Equity’ Comments
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell assured that everybody affected by Hurricane Ian will receive relief after Vice President Kamala Harris said that relief efforts should focus on “giving resources based on equity” to “communities of color.”
“It is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making,” Harris told actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas at a Democratic National Committee event on Friday.
“And so we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality but we also need to fight for equity, understanding not everyone starts out at the same place,” she continued. “And if we want people to be at an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities and do that work.”
Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Criswell said “all communities” will be supported following the deadly category five hurricane, though she concurred with Harris’ sentiment.
“One of the things that I have known and I have experienced responding to other disasters is that there are people that often have a hard time accessing our programs, there’s barriers to our program,” she said. “And one of our focus areas, since I’ve been in office, is to make sure that we’re removing those barriers. So, these people that need our help the most are going to be able to access the help that we offer. I know that the vice president and the president, they share the same values.”
“We’re going to support all communities,” added Criswell. “I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs.”
According to NBC News, at least 87 people have died due to Hurricane Ian, which hit Puerto Rico and Florida last week. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to visit those places this week.
Watch above via CBS.
