Sunrise Movement’s Response to Hurricane Ida: This Was Preventable, Biden Must Declare A Climate Emergency

Washington, DC – In response to Hurricane Ida’s devastating impact, hitting Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, Varshini Prakash, Executive Director of Sunrise Movement, released the following statement:

“Today my heart aches for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. On the 16th anniversary of Katrina, a storm that many still haven’t recovered from, families are traumatized by yet another devastating climate catastrophe. Let’s be clear: this was preventable. It was preventable that New Orleans lost its power. It was preventable that people had to evacuate their homes. It was preventable that shelters face both a climate disaster and a COVID-19 surge. And it was preventable that people would lose their lives – especially poor people, and Black and Brown communities who don’t all have the privilege of evacuating.

“What more do politicians need to realize that the climate crisis is here and killing us? The time for incrementalism and watered down “solutions” is over. While community members and aid groups provide support to victims of the storm, what is President Biden doing? Biden must declare a climate emergency to mobilize the federal government towards addressing these climate disasters and tackling the climate crisis head on. We’re done with thoughts and prayers and so are the communities of the Gulf South. We need action now.”

In response to Hurricane Ida, Sunrise Movement is working with its local hubs to prioritize helping those on the ground. Sunrise members are organizing phone banks this week to connect with people impacted by the storm, ensuring they have the resources they need to survive, and will be working with partners to jumpstart a fundraising page for mutual aid in the area. 
 

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The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. We unite to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people. Most recently, the Sunrise Movement contributed to the election of Senator-elects Ossoff and Warnock by mobilizing thousands of young people in Georgia.