The ice storm that swept through four states Tuesday and Wednesday had an eye for the most impoverished rural areas, pardon the pun. It started in the Ozarks and moved through the northwestern zone of Appalachia, causing the most severe infrastructure damage (downed power lines, impaired bridges, etc.) in direct proportion to the density of trees. "Everyplace in the woods is out," in the words of one utility worker.
No doubt, the demographers of DKOS will demonstrate irrefutably that the pattern of storm damage is directly attributable to "racism," or likewise to the weakness of support for Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries and general election.
Which does go to my larger point -- the rural poor are in an especially bad sort of way.
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More than 1.3 million homes in Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio are reported to have lost power. In most cases -- metropolitan Dayton and Cincinnati, for example -- the loss was temporary and power has already been restored. In the rural counties, power is still out and will be for some time. Utility representatives have said power may not be restored in some areas until "mid-February." I live in Pike County, Ohio, and lost power around 5 AM Wednesday -- local utility reps say it will not be restored until Saturday at the earliest. Word of mouth is saying we'll be dark until Monday or later. Needless to say, there's been a run on generators and all other emergency supplies at the few stores that have opened in the larger towns. (I travelled three counties away to find a public place with web access, where I can file this.)
Nothing about this is conspiratorial. It's easier to repair the lines in areas where there are fewer ice-laden trees, and it makes sense to restore the lines to more densely populated areas first. Rural people are hardier folk -- we're more prepared to live like our Amish neighbors, in part precisely because we do have Amish neighbors. If God was once suspected of being Jewish because of his sense of humor, ice storms bring the humorless realization that he's really Amish.
But here's the thing. The Ohio counties hit hardest by this storm are Adams, Highland, Pike, Scioto, Jackson and Gallia. The Ohio counties with the highest poverty and unemployment rates are Adams, Highland, Pike, Scioto, Jackson and Gallia. Poverty rates in these counties top 30%. Unemployment figures ceased to be meaningful because most sources of non-governmental employment disappeared decades ago. Rates of those who lack health insurance? Try -- almost everyone who doesn't have a patronage political job.
Sure, we all keep candles and flashlights, and kerosene heaters handy. But despite the drop in the price of gasoline, kerosene is still selling for between $3 and $5 per gallon. That cost is not compensated by emergency heating assistance programs, which presume that the electricity will stay on. Each county in the affected area has opened an emergency shelter -- but many people feel they cannot go to a shelter, because if they do, they'll return to a house that's been robbed. An extended power outage in a rural area in the midst of a severe economic downturn is a formula for a wave of theft and other crime. Already, before the storm, people have been forced to remove old copper pipes and gutters, lest they serve as incentive to looters. Portsmouth, Ohio, at the center of the affected area, already had the highest crime rate of any city in Ohio.
And so, a lot of impoverished people in southern Ohio and Kentucky are getting mighty cold right about now. Or they are spending their last available cash on kerosene, candles, and ammunition in case of looters. These are people who have been living for a long time on the brink, and this ice storm may be the thing that pushes them over.
It's Thursday. There are neighbors I still cannot reach to ensure they are safe. Neither cell phones nor land-line phones are working very well right now.
There is a long list of problems to be addressed in America. Add this one: Are we creating swaths of the country to be considered expendable?