Natural Disasters Impact The Poor In Ted Steinberg's Acts Of God

In chapter eight of Acts of God, Ted Steinberg discusses how natural disasters impact the poor in the United States and how the US government has historically responded to natural disasters. According to the text, there is a tendency among policymakers to blame calamity/disaster on nature; this perspective has led to much difficulty in disaster relief efforts. In the text, Steinberg implies that the government has typically been inadequate at helping the poor in disaster’s wake.
Chapter eight begins by expanding on some of the natural disasters that occurred during the 1960s in the US: Hurricane Hilda (1964) and Betsy (1965); Alaska/California earthquake and tsunami of 1964; and Hurricane Camille (1969). Steinberg argues that these events

led to the nationalization of disaster, which influenced Senator Birch Bayh to sponsor legislation that made low-interest federal loans available to private homeowners and businesspeople. The author states that government disaster assistance began recently and places emphasis on the Disaster Relief Act of 1969. According to Steinberg, the economics of natural disaster relief in the US have tended to overlook the poor.
The chapter mentions Ed Koch and his questioning of the difference between natural disasters and those made by man. The federal system of disaster relief is premised on natural disasters (perceived to be beyond human control), not man-made environmental disasters. According to the author, the definition of “calamity” is contested, and the boundary between culture and nature is fuzzy. The text also elaborates on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and argues that FEMA has had many issues regarding helping the poor after disasters. Chapter eight concludes by discussing ways in which the US government pays for natural disasters. Steinberg states that the poor have typically been left out of the disaster relief equation.