September 13th
Every week, we round up what our staff have been reading, listening to, and watching so you can stay in the know with social justice news.
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The Federal Government Sells Flood-Prone Homes to Often Unsuspecting Buyers, NPR Finds
Flood or HUD problem?: Using FEMA and HUD data, NPR’s analysis of foreclosed home sales indicated that The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) disproportionately sells houses in flood-prone areas, often unbeknownst to buyers. Using the same data, the Center for Social Solutions found that the overwhelming majority of these houses fall into category X, the lowest-risk category for flooding. “Most people can petition to get out of X, since it is within the error of margin.” So, perhaps the outcome is more inefficient than sensational. “The fact that [HUD] is doing this at all is crazy, especially since you have FEMA that buys flood-prone homes and moves them. So HUD sells a home to a person, FEMA buys it back from them and destroys it. This is not efficient.” Sensationalized or not, the practice of selling to unsusepcting buyers seems pretty sketch to us. — 9/14/2021
Water Shutoff Moratoria Lowered COVID-19 Infection and Death Across U.S. States — American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Water’s up, Doc?: The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published a study conducted by Zhang, Warner, and Grant that analyzed pre- and post-moratoria water shutoffs across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers found that having a moratorium on water shutoffs “significantly lowered the COVID-19 infection daily growth rate” and “significantly lowered the death growth rate.” — 9/10/2021
‘Green Infrastructure’ for Clean Water Shows Its Worth in Washington, D.C. — Next City
Gross and dangerous: In a combined sewage system (sewage + stormwater), an intense rain event can cause sewage to flood into streets and buildings. As climate change exacerbates flooding, this is an increasingly dire situation for 860 cities across the country. Some cities are turning to green infrastructure, including rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavements, to manage stormwater surges. D.C. recently announced that since 2016, green infrastructure resulted in a 20% decrease in runoff in target areas. Philadelphia saw a 10% increase in home values where green infrastructure is located, largely in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods (58%). — 9/2/2021
Listen
This Land, Season 2 — Rebecca Nagle
ICWA: A bit like a bandaid to mend a broken arm, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 was passed in response to the systematic genocide of Native children through residential boarding schools and the Indian Adoption Program. The law, which gives preference to Native families in adoption cases for Native children, is being threatened by a custody battle filed by white foster parents (IWCA prevents them from adopting the Native boy in their care). This lawsuit not only contests the legality of the IWCA but also “the entire legal structure defending Native American rights”. In April 2021, IWCA was upheld as “within Congress’s authority” by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, but the upcoming Supreme Court decision could shake that grounding. Rebecca Nagle dedicates the second season of her award-winning podcast, This Land, to the case.
“The point that Nagle is making in this podcast is that custody cases involving Native children are now being used to attack Indigenous rights and advance other agendas that have nothing to do with children.” — Allison Herrera, KOSU
*Sylistic elements are inserted by editors to highlight key points.
