Supporting the Victims of Hurricane Ida

September 1, 2021

Supporting the Victims of Hurricane Ida

Philly DSA expresses solidarity with those affected by Hurricane Ida. New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast have long suffered from our government’s failure to provide adequate support for recovery in the wake of natural disasters, the prevalence and intensity of which have steadily increased with climate change. Sixteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina deepened social inequalities and opened up already-vulnerable New Orleanians — especially BIPOC residents — to further abandonment, criminalization, and deprivation. We see the same destruction today. These disasters are precipitated by corporate negligence and outright corruption, which have undeniably allowed climate change to accelerate unchecked. In turn, our government leaves victims to face the aftermath without aid. Furthermore, reports and rhetoric of looting ultimately allow corporations to hoard expiring, desperately needed resources from the working class while empowering the police and reactionaries to incite racial violence against BIPOC during a horrific natural disaster. 

As we continue to demand institutional changes that will address the climate crisis, win a Green New Deal, and protect the most vulnerable populations from the worst disasters, we support on-the-ground efforts to help comrades in the South recover. The government’s refusal to rein in corporate exploitation and refusal to take bold climate action is a disgrace that will destroy countless lives, and a choice that makes our support necessary. Beyond the devastation in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Ida also brought unprecedented weather to Philadelphia and the Northeast. Rainfall was a 1 in 200 year event, and there were tornadoes and flooding in the Philly area. This is the new normal. We share the anger and sadness of millions, and we stand ready to demand action. Below is a list of resources supporting the victims of Hurricane Ida, some of which are recommendations from DSA’s Mutual Aid Working Group. We call on you to send funds if possible and ask others to do so as well.

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief 

Mutual Aid Response Network (Imagine Waterworks)

Apply for disaster assistance (FEMA)

NOLA Ready (recovery information and helplines, local volunteering)

United Way of Southeast Louisiana (recovery fund)

In solidarity,

Philly DSA
[email protected]