紐時賞析／氣候變遷加劇…被批門檻高、種族不平等 美政府拓展災害援助

颶風蘿拉和颶風戴爾塔2022年侵襲路易斯安那州後，聯邦急難救災總署在格蘭德湖附近提供旅行拖車供民衆暫時居住。（紐約時報）

Amid Worsening Climate Shocks, FEMA Will Try To Expedite Aid

氣候變遷加劇 美國災害管理局嘗試更便捷方法

The Biden administration is overhauling the country’s disaster assistance programs, expanding aid for survivors of hurricanes, wildfires and other catastrophes and making it easier to access.

拜登政府正在徹底改革美國災害援助計劃，將援助拓展至颶風、野火和其他災難的倖存者，並讓援助更容易取得。

The shift, announced Friday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, comes amid a growing number of climate-related disasters. It follows years of criticism surrounding the agency’s aid programs, which experts have said are insufficient, too hard to access and disproportionately benefit wealthier and white Americans.

這項由美國聯邦急難救災總署在週五宣佈的轉變，正值氣候相關災害數量攀升之際。多年來該署的援助計劃飽受批評，專家表示援助不足、太難取得，而且不成比例的讓較富裕的美國白人獲益。

“Survivors deserve better,” said Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator. “We’re connecting people with the help that they need on their worst day.”

聯邦急難救災總署署長狄恩妮．克里斯維爾表示：「倖存者應得到更好的待遇。我們正提供人們在最糟的日子所需的幫助。」

The changes include wider access to an immediate $750 payment after evacuating a home and for other urgent needs, more housing assistance for people who can’t return home right away, easier access to money to repair and improve homes, and reduced paperwork.

這些轉變包括撤離房屋後和其他緊急需求時更容易立即取得750美元給付，提供無法立刻返家的民衆更多住房協助，更容易取得用來修繕和改善房屋的款項，及減少文書工作。

Those changes would especially help renters and people with low incomes, according to Frank Matranga, who runs the agency’s aid programs for disaster survivors. And because people in those groups are more likely to be people of color, the changes should reduce the racial inequity in federal disaster aid, he said.

負責該署災害倖存者援助計劃的馬特蘭加表示，這些轉變對租客和低收入者特別有幫助。他說，因爲這些類型民衆較可能是有色人種，這些轉變應該會減少聯邦災害援助中的種族不平等。

About 1 million Americans each year receive some sort of direct aid from FEMA, according to the agency.

該署指出，每年約百萬名美國人接受來自該署某種形式上的直接援助。

In addition to the $750 payment per household, FEMA said it would create a new program, called Displacement Assistance, to help people who need to stay in hotels, or with friends or family. Weather-related disasters pushed more than 3.3 million American adults out of their homes in 2022, census data shows. Of those, at least 1.2 million were displaced for a month or longer.

除了發給每戶750美元，該署也表示會創立一項名爲「流離失所援助」的新專案，協助必須待在旅館或借住朋友和家人家中的民衆。人口普查數據顯示，天氣相關災害2022年導致超過330萬名美國成人離開家園，其中至少120萬人流離失所一個月以上。

FEMA is also ending one of its most criticized rules, which requires disaster survivors seeking assistance to first apply for, and be rejected for, a loan from the Small Business Administration, regardless of whether they own a small business.

該署也終止一項最受批評的規則，也就是要求尋求援助的災害倖存者先向美國小型企業管理局申請貸款，無論他們是否經營小型企業，被拒絕後才能向該署申請援助。

Han Nguyen, a spokesperson for the Small Business Administration, said in a statement that the agency “applauds FEMA’s decision.”

美國小型企業管理局發言人阮漢在聲明中表示，他們的機構「贊成聯邦急難救災署的決定」。

FEMA said it would also make it easier for people whose homes had been damaged to get money to rebuild. And if a home requires upgrades for people with disabilities — for example, adding a ramp to the front door — FEMA would pay for those changes.

該署表示，這會使房屋受損的人更容易拿到重建資金。而且如果房屋需要爲行動不便人士進行設備升級，例如在房屋門口增設坡道，該署會支付這些改建費用。

文／Christopher Flavelle 譯／羅方妤