Disaster Colonialism

Define coloniality:

The long-standing patterns of power, as a result of colonialism, that affect culture, labour, and knowledge production, long beyond the primary bounds of colonial administration. 

Define procedural vulnerability:

The vulnerability of different groups of people to disaster management techniques and how much help they get

Describe the history of Puerto Rico:

• They have been colonised by different nations since the 1400s

• European colonial powers feared hurricanes for their power to destabilise gov't and incite slave rebellions 

• Taíno and Black slaves were placed in the path of the storm and often denied access to adequate shelte

How has storm forecasting been weaponised in Puerto Rico?

• The Taíno could track hurricanes ~4 days before landfall – this was criminalised as witchcraft 

• The US uses weather forecasting to manipulate nations as they can withhold it

Describe the US management of disasters in Puerto Rico:

• FEMA was created in 1979 

• It inherited a tradition of militarisation, complex bureaucracy, and insular state offices 

• Lots of anti-POC messaging in emergency preparedness materials 

Describe the 2017 hurricane season:

• The first season on record with 2 Cat 4 hurricanes making the mainland 

• The main three were Harvey, Irma, and Maria

• Panel discussions occurred between the World Bank, IMF, Caribbean, Canadian, UK, (etc.) politicians, and disaster recovery experts 

• In relief talks, the leaders of affected nations were often left out

Describe how Cuba has gone some way to remove the effects of coloniality:

• Post soviet collapse, they returned many farms to small private owners and focused on ecologically sustainable farming

• They have reduced the influence of outside investors + reliance on other countries

• They have a regularly reviewed response policy that can be implemented at local + national scales

• The Cat 5 hurricane Irma destroyed 15,000 homes

• But the death toll was ~10 people - significantly lower than nearby Puerto Rico