Atlanta Daily World

African Americans Disproportionately Affected by Disasters

The tornado which devastated an Oklahoma town last month has once again sparked debate about emergency preparedness, particularly in the African American community where disaster readiness hasn't always been a priority.

"We've seen the effects of September 11, Hurricane Katrina, and other disasters. We've also seen the effects they have had, especially on black people," said Cindy Vaughn, a Prince George's County resident.

"However, we (African Americans) tend not to pay too much attention to these things and that's one of the main reasons why we're not always prepared when natural disasters and other tragedies strike," she said.

The attitude toward preparedness among America's black population remains nonchalant despite frequent disaster occurrences and rising death tolls, according to several studies.

Officials at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University in New York recently completed a study, "Planning for Responding to and Recovering from Disasters," which revealed that African Americans are likely to view themselves as being more at-risk from man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks, industrial and power plant accidents, or nuclear bombs.

Fifty-four percent of blacks in the survey said it was likely they would experience a major disaster within the next five years, compared to 47 percent of other U.S. citizens.

Forty percent of African Americans said they would characterize the threat level of a disaster happening in the U.S. as either high or severe.

However, just 24 percent of African Americans surveyed said they are prepared for a disaster but they had a "great intention to prepare," and indicated that they would be open to better preparation if offered a tax credit or financial incentive.

"Imagine that," said Dana Stevenson, a psychologist in Northeast Washington, D.C. "We will prepare for a disaster only if the government or another entity pays us to do so. That makes very little sense that someone would take the position that they'll take steps to preserve their own well-being or their own life if someone else pays the freight," Stevenson said.

Blacks tend to be disproportionately affected by all kinds of disasters, according to officials at the National Resource Center for Public Health Readiness & Communications at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia.

"Every second counts in an emergency," said William Begal, president of Begal Enterprises, a Rockville, Md.-based disaster restoration company. "But, we assist before a disaster occurs by either creating a disaster plan, or filling in the pieces of what may already be in place and implementing it," Begal said.

Still, some argue that poverty and systemic discrimination, which has occurred over the course of American history, has caused many African Americans to regard messages from the government and other authorities with suspicion, doubt and even fear.

"There is no question we have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the government doing what is right," Stevenson said.

Such historic disasters like the Mississippi River Flood in 1927, the Vanport Flood in 1948, and more recently Hurricane Katrina, demonstrate how African Americans suffered, in part, due to the actions or inactions of the government.

Fund For Georgia Dad Paralyzed While Rescuing 4-year-old Girl Hits $50,000

Friends of Michael Patterson, the fund set up to help the 43-year-old Rockmart, Ga., resident who was critically injured Saturday as he saved the life of a 4-year-old girl at the Rockmart Dam has passed the $50,000 mark just days after being established. The fund’s goal is to bring in $250,000 in donations.

Previous reports indicate that Patterson broke his neck in three places and severed his spinal cord after he dove into the dam near the Silver Comet trail to save Javeh Jones, who had been swept underwater by the current.

"In the water, all I saw was the top of her head, and I was just yelling, ‘Grab her. Somebody grab her,'" said Carlisa Jones, Javeh’s mother.

Jones said that Patterson didn't hesitate to dive in and help save the girl. Authorities are calling him a hero and Carlisa Jones said that he’s more than that.

"He's a God-send, basically," said Jones. "He was there. He was supposed to have been there."

Patterson’s friends and family say that he was visiting the creek with his son when he heard the cry of a mother as she noticed her daughter was in trouble. Javaeh was playing in the water when she waded into an area over her head and was swept away by the swift current of the creek.

Patterson dove in and rescued the child, but after his injury was reportedly floating face down in the water and unconscious for approximately three minutes before anyone realized what had happened.

He was eventually pulled from the water and was not breathing when emergency personnel arrived. Upon arrival, EMT's performed CPR on Michael and then transported him to Redmond Regional Medical Center. He is currently at Emory Medical Center and his family hopes to get him into the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation. They told Atlanta’s Fox affiliate that their funds are limited because Patterson's father has cancer and his grandfather is bedridden.

“Michael had just started a job two weeks prior to the incident, and he does not have insurance,” says a statement on the Friends of Mike Patterson Trust, the online fund created for the man who is now reportedly paralyzed from the waist down. “We are trying to help his family raise money for this hero.”

For more information and updates, please visit the official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Friendsofmikepatterson

To contact the family, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Donations can be made to:

River City Bank
"Mike Patterson Donation Fund"
228 N. 2nd Ave SW
Rome, GA 30165

Zimmerman Jurors to Be Sequestered

(CNN) -- Jurors in the trial of George Zimmerman will be sequestered, Judge Debra Nelson announced Thursday.

Attorneys in the case agreed that the trial will take two to four weeks, not the four-to-six weeks previously estimated, she said.

Ten more potential jurors were questioned Thursday about pretrial publicity.

Questions included whether they had formed an opinion based on what they heard, and whether they thought they could be fair and impartial jurors. Half of them were dismissed for cause.

While the court will not confirm which of the five were dismissed, it is likely that two, E18, B67, were turned away because their religious beliefs caused them to believe that Zimmerman is guilty.

"I believe in God's Law - the 10 Commandments. Don't kill," E18 said. Another potential juror, B54, said, "the only person who can judge is God."

Those potential jurors' opinions were a stark contrast to E81's.

Based on what she's seen in the media, E81 said she believed Zimmerman is innocent and was defending himself when he shot Trayvon Martin. She said she "based it on the injuries George had ... I also know Trayvon wasn't beat up like that. Trayvon was learning to be a street fighter."

E81 was also a gun rights supporter.

"All people have a right to defend themselves ... I think the more people armed, the better," she said.

E75 was perhaps one of the youngest potential jurors. A recent high school graduate, he said he hasn't formed an opinion despite the fact that his fellow classmates often debated about what happened and who was to blame.

Almost all potential jurors said they thought that the media heightened the sentiment that the killing might have been racially motivated.

A couple of them are or have been members of a neighborhood association.

So far, 25 potential jurors who have been individually questioned about pre-trial publicity have moved on to the next round. Ten of them are minorities.

The court, at the defense's request, will not begin general questioning of the potential jurors until 15 more potential jurors are pre-qualifed.

Justice Department Weighs in on NYC ‘Stop-and-Frisk’ Case

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