Jackson Free Press

The Associated Press is reporting:

Though poor and minority neighborhoods suffered the brunt of Katrina's fury, residents living in white neighborhoods have been three times as likely as homeowners in black neighborhoods to seek state help in resolving insurance disputes, according to an Associated Press computer analysis.
The analysis of Louisiana's insurance complaints settled in the first year after Katrina highlights a cold, hard truth exposed by Katrina's winds and waters: People of color and modest means, who often need the most help after a major disaster, are disconnected from the government institutions that can provide it, or distrustful of those in power.

The Littles and the Kitchens watched helplessly as Hurricane Katrina battered their homes. Both families waited patiently for an insurance adjuster to settle their losses. And both were sorely disappointed with the outcome. Then, their paths diverged.
Richard and Cindy Little, a white couple living in a predominantly white neighborhood, filed a complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Eventually, they won full reimbursement for their repairs.

Doretha and Roy Kitchens, a black couple living in New Orleans' overwhelmingly black Lower Ninth Ward, simply gave up and took what their insurer gave them. They didn't know they could appeal to the state.

"The blacks didn't complain 'cause they got tired," said Doretha Kitchens, 58, who recalls numerous phone calls to her insurer that often ended with her being put on hold. Ultimately, she accepted her insurer's offer of about $34,000 for damages that actually total more than $120,000.
The insurance industry and state regulators say they made special efforts - even in the midst of Katrina's chaos - to reach out to poor and minority neighborhoods to inform them of options.

But their ad appeals on local radio did little to inform the thousands of mostly black residents who were displaced to Houston. And giving a toll free number for help didn't help poor minorities who stayed behind with no telephone or cell service. Officials acknowledge victims slipped through the cracks.

"The message doesn't get to everyone," Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said.

More than a year after the epic hurricane laid waste to much of the Gulf Coast, frustration and anger still simmer.

Previous Comments

ID

89537

Comment

But their ad appeals on local radio did little to inform the thousands of mostly black residents who were displaced to Houston. And giving a toll free number for help didn't help poor minorities who stayed behind with no telephone or cell service. Officials acknowledge victims slipped through the cracks. If you know where the evacuees are, why don't you just make an extra effert to reach them by making sure the info gets to those locations? For those who had to sleep in stadiums, even if it takes several widescreen TVs with a sign language interpreter in the corner of the screen with the message playing over and over again, do it. For those who stayed behind, what if those who were searching for people to rescue would have marked tho homes of those who would not leave? That way, Red Cross or FEMA or whoever it may be could have gone back to those homes to get the information they need from them and turn it in for processing on their behalf.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-10-25T12:59:16-06:00

ID

89538

Comment

Ok. So we know this problem exists and will still be here tomorrow. Everyone talks like it’s too late to help the poor blacks who gave up. It’s not too late! Let not forget about the sad shape the N.O. educational system was in, and is still in. There are generations of people who are just illiterate and do the best they can to understand. Just the thought of filling out a complaint form was enough to make them throw their hands up. Also, these people went through FEMA worker’s not understanding the Ebonics they spoke - more anguish and suffering. This was just the depressing way of life down there.

Author

blackwhitehuman

Date

2006-10-25T22:32:33-06:00

ID

89539

Comment

That's a good point, b.w.h. Issues all the way around. Let's not even start on those levees.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-10-26T18:40:41-06:00