Mudslides in California coastal town take heavy toll on immigrants
In recent days, the national news has been dominated by reports of the devastation and deaths resulting from the mudslides in the coastal community of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California, with homes of stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe, and many others. Montecito also is home of many working class people, including immigrants, who suffered due to the disaster. As reported by Julie Watson for the Associated Press,
“Antonio and Victor Benitez [who had a gardening business] suffered broken bones and each lost a child. Antonio’s wife was killed. Victor’s wife was killed – her body was found Saturday – and his toddler son was injured.
Nearly a third of those killed in the Jan. 9 mudslides were from immigrant families working in service jobs in the largely white and retired Pacific coast town of 9,000. Many of these families are from developing countries seizing the opportunities provided by the area’s wealth to make a better life for their children.”
Unfortunately, immigrants are often the silent victims of natural disasters, from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the California wildfires last fall to the mnudslide in Montecito.
KJ