A recently introduced Congressional bill could revise FEMA's response to better protect women during disaster recovery.
The FEMA for Safe Recovery Act, introduced on Capitol Hill earlier this month, would create a federal policy requiring gender-responsive and trauma-informed training for FEMA. This includes better federal-to-local coordination, check-ins with all members of a household rather than just the head of household, and strengthened shelter safety.
The bill was largely inspired by the uptick in reports of gender-based violence after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, reported on by local feminist and place-based disaster response organization Tagnawa.
Its “Equality in Flames” report found that the number of requests for temporary restraining orders, calls to women-based crisis hotlines, and domestic violence reports all increased in the aftermath of the fires.
Khara Jabola-Carolus, co-founder of Tagnawa and the research director of the report, said that despite the prevalence of gender-based violence, it’s still difficult to create lasting change for victims because many see it as a controversial issue.
“Anytime we talk about women's stories, there's going to be pushback because it makes the community look bad,” Jabola-Carolus said. “No one wants to believe that people who had their lives upended by a disaster might also be harming people in their lives because they're stressed out and angry about the situation. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but if we’re able to face it, it will benefit and strengthen our whole community.”
After disaster strikes, stressors like housing instability, lack of access to food and basic necessities, and other economic stressors can strain mental health. In certain cases, this can lead to these emotions being taken out on family members or personal relationships.
Jabola-Carolus said this can also lead victims to feel that they cannot speak up about their experiences because they have nowhere else to go because, in some cases, their abuser is the main breadwinner or supporter of the household.
“When we know gender-based violence is overwhelmingly men harming women, what does that mean then, when you're predominantly giving all the resources to men?” she said. “You're accidentally disempowering, or even aiding abuse in cases of disaster survivors. That's something that you wouldn't think of unless you had really sat down and tried to understand what plays out in the aftermath of disasters.”
The bill gained bipartisan support before being introduced by Florida Rep. Laurel Lee and Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath earlier this month.
Rights4Girls, a national anti-violence and exploitation group, worked with Tagnawa to create and push the new legislation. Yasmin Vafa, its executive director, said Hawaiʻi inspiring possible national reform is something the state should be proud of.
“When certain policies are gender-neutral, women and girls end up being left behind,” Vafa said. “Current FEMA policies just fall short and fail to really consider the unique needs of women and girls in particular, and children, in the aftermath of a disaster.”
Beyond new training guidelines for FEMA, gender-responsive disaster response also ensures women have access to products that Vafa described as “things you don’t remember you need, until you really need them,” including feminine hygiene products and baby formula.
Jabola-Carolus said anecdotally, she's had residents and first responders reach out post-disaster saying they know others who need help to get out of violent situations, but don’t know where to turn. She emphasized that shedding light on the issue of gender-based violence is not meant as an attack on the community, but rather a way to give a voice to those who may not know they have one.
“Talking about the violence is not the thing that's divisive,” she said. “The violence and oppression are.”
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