In the following article, originally published in Struggle/La Lucha, Sharon Black compares and contrasts responses to recent natural disasters in China and the United States.
When Hurricane Helene struck, entire villages in Appalachia were wiped out. And of the 230 victims the hurricane claimed, 105 lived in North Carolina.
“More than four months after Hurricane Helene struck, many residents in western North Carolina remain essentially homeless. They are temporarily housed in hotels and face eviction during a freezing winter. More than 1,600 families lost access to Transitional Sheltering Assistance because FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] was unable to contact them digitally.”
In California, fires raged for nearly a month and the danger of landslides remains. Health consequences in the region have not yet been fully measured, especially for young children, infants, and older people, whose lungs are more at risk of disease from inhaling poisonous air. The Los Angeles-based Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice has called on the government to convert military production from bombs and guns to manufacturing air purifiers and personal protective equipment (PPE).
While Trump demagogically attacked Los Angeles’s Black Mayor, Karen Bass, he did not condemn price-gouging landlords, multi-million–dollar insurance companies, or profit-hungry utility companies such as Southern California Edison. Residents in Altadena, where 75% of African Americans living there own their homes, have charged the company with negligence and greed.
While such disasters swept the USA, a 6.8 -magnitude earthquake struck a remote region of China’s Xizang Autonomous Region (generally known as Tibet). The contrast in the response was stark.
China’s President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives. He called for top priority to be given to treating the injured, meeting the basic needs of those affected, and speeding post-disaster recovery.
The earthquake struck at 9 a.m. Village representatives from the local government and the Communist Party of China immediately alerted the central government and went door to door to begin rescue efforts – even before specialised teams arrived. Military aircraft from the Western Theatre Command took off early that day to set up a command station in Dingri County. Disaster teams, medical personnel, and supplies – including members of the People’s Liberation Army – were already on their way. Sharon notes:
“What’s remarkable is that these efforts took place at high altitudes, in freezing temperatures, and with limited daylight. Pictures show Chinese rescue teams using drones to light up the area and working around the clock.”
She notes the similarity in response on the part of working people in both countries, concluding:
From China to Los Angeles and Appalachia, ordinary people have shown an incredible capacity for sacrifice and altruism and the ability to work together. Such cooperation and solidarity are key to human survival. What is missing in Los Angeles, North Carolina, and the United States as a whole is a system that matches our natural ability to cooperate, protect one another, and act heroically when needed – a system that puts people’s needs before profits. China’s President Xi Jinping summed it up best: ‘Saving lives is the most important thing.’ It should always come before capitalist profits and imperialist war.
President Donald Trump recently visited two U.S. climate disaster sites — Asheville, North Carolina, and Los Angeles. In addition to racist rants against immigrants and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hires, he also targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Trump said his goal was to shut down the already underfunded agency and pass the problem of disaster relief to the states and local politicians to avoid federal responsibility.
Western North Carolina, particularly Buncombe County, suffered the worst damage and loss of life from Hurricane Helene. Entire villages in Appalachia were wiped out, and 105 of the 230 Helene victims lived in North Carolina. Some residents went weeks without water or power.
People in Appalachia remain cold and homeless
More than four months after Hurricane Helene struck, many residents in western North Carolina remain essentially homeless. They are temporarily housed in hotels and face eviction during a freezing winter. More than 1,600 families lost access to Transitional Sheltering Assistance because FEMA was unable to contact them digitally.
Continue reading From Xizang to Appalachia and Altadena: A tale of opposite disaster responses
