Major flood would hit Los Angeles Black communities disproportionately hard, study finds The findings add to a long list of racial disparities in the city that include a disproportionate share of blacks on the receiving end of housing costs and police violence.
The Los Angeles Times and NBCLA analyzed federal funding provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice, as well as other data compiled by municipal, county and federal agencies.
They found that the areas most likely to be hit with a flood of displacement-related costs due to floods, wildfires, storms and other climate disasters were overwhelmingly black, with the exception of those living on the far South Side of Chicago and in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
In the study, published Monday by the Urban Institute, the researchers analyzed federal data showing how much is spent on flood mitigation and insurance, as well as other emergency flood-related costs. They also looked at how that money is distributed across a variety of federal programs that address the needs of people living in flood-prone areas.
Researchers found that the areas most likely to be hit with a flood of displacement-related costs due to floods, wildfires, storms and other climate disasters were overwhelmingly black, with the exception of those living on the far South Side of Chicago and in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
The Department of Justice declined to provide the study, instead sending a note to the Times and NBCLA:
“As this data-based analysis was developed in light of this new data collection, including information that has since been collected through a variety of federal and state agencies, it is inappropriate to discuss or comment on the nature of its findings,” the agency said in a written statement. “It is also important to note that this data was collected and reported on by a variety of state, district and local public and private agencies — which is why a broader and public-reporting data collection is necessary, including federal programs.”
The Urban Institute study analyzed data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD
