OPINION: As natural disasters sweep through low-income areas, the media sweeps it under the rug

Photo via: NASA/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons

The Los Angeles fires have struck tragedy across the most renowned areas of Southern California. The media has become swept up in the disaster. The fires in LA have become the number one story across the nation. As the media has a frenzy over the celebrities who have lost their million-dollar homes, middle and lower-class people suffer. 

Living in California, specifically LA, is extremely expensive, with the average home price being $948,383. Many people in the county are barely able to afford the bare minimum to support themselves and a possible family. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2023, around 12% of California residents lived below the poverty line, and 13.9% of Los Angeles County lived below the poverty level. 

With the cost of living in California being high and continuing to rise, residents who have lost the homes they have owned for years or even decades are unlikely to be able to afford to rebuild. While wealthy residents likely have insurance and resources to financially and physically recover, lower and middle-class families deal with issues such as debt, homelessness and unemployment. These stressors will have lasting impacts, such as mental and physical health problems.

The media coverage surrounding the LA fires largely consists of the losses only borne by the rich, when in reality, the poor will bear the biggest burden. It is not uncommon that the news and media typically focus on issues about the upper class and give less attention to issues that affect the middle and lower class. 

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene heavily damaged areas in many Southern states. Specifically, the majority of damage due to the hurricane was seen in the southern Appalachian region, which is the home of many low-income communities. Helene killed more than 230 people, and left $200 billion in damages, making it the most costly storm in U.S. history. The storm caused vast flooding, leaving some towns completely destroyed, and thousands of people without homes. 

According to the Center for American Progress, the majority of Southern states have an outstanding number of citizens living in poverty. In 2023, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, the percentage of the population living below the poverty line was 12.8%, 13.6% and 14%, respectively. In the Appalachian region, around 14.7% of residents lived in poverty between the years 2016-2022, and in more rural areas, around 20% of people lived in poverty. In 2023, the national average poverty rate was 11.1%, leaving the South and Appalachia with higher-than-average poverty rates. 

Before the hurricane hit, news stations began to track the predicted path of the storm and the expected damage. After the storm had passed and the damage had been reported, the media began to move on, despite the continuous suffering within the regions hit by the hurricane. 

The crises caused by the hurricane are ongoing, and the region is still recovering. Many people utilize FEMA benefits such as hotel vouchers and rental assistance but these programs don’t last forever. The expiration dates on FEMA housing vary depending on the area and the damage done. Once people meet their voucher deadline they could possibly be left with no home and no money to pay for housing.  

Unfortunately, the world has seemingly forgotten about the disaster that occurred only four months ago. The wealthy residents within the region of the hurricane have recovered and moved on, therefore so has the media. The suffering of the lower class is only newsworthy when relevant to the upper class. The same will occur when the LA fires die down, the media will continue to report on the rich and famous. The public is likely to remain updated on which celebrities are rebuilding their homes, the size of the new homes and where they will reside. On the other hand, lower and middle-class residents will experience extreme levels of poverty and an even bigger housing crisis. 

Most of the reporting on the LA fires has consisted of which celebrities have lost their homes and who has donated money to the city. Although it is important to note the donations given by the rich, it is also important to remember the people who need the charity the most and how they are affected.

The public is being fed information regarding the people who will experience the least amount of loss due to the natural disaster. Many celebrities and wealthy people have multiple homes to reside in, or the money and resources to rebuild quickly. Other residents in the community will be forgotten by the media as they continue to suffer for years. Similarly to Hurricane Helene, lower and middle-class communities have been completely destroyed. In LA, historically Black neighborhoods offered a safe space for Black communities to live in an area where they are protected from discriminatory housing practices. Due to the fire, these communities have been destroyed and are unlikely to be rebuilt and provide the same security. The businesses in these communities that survived or can afford to rebuild are likely to lose a majority of their customers because they won’t live there anymore.  

The media has focused on the destruction experienced by the rich. The fires are a tragedy from one neighborhood to another, but the damage will disproportionately affect different communities. The rich will have the chance to rebuild what they’ve lost and continue with their lives. The middle and lower classes have experienced life-changing losses that will have a lasting impact on their communities for generations to come. 

When natural disasters occur, such as Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles fires, it is important to shed light on all the people experiencing loss followed by the event. The impacts of these disasters will not disappear once the rich have recovered. Although the media may move on from the tragedy, many communities will never have that privilege. 

The news will continue to be quick-paced as the world moves from one event to another. Major news outlets should continue to report on the aftermath of a tragedy, not just the disaster itself. The people who will endure continuing devastation deserve to have their stories told and the public’s acknowledgment.