A Mutual Aid Response
A great example of the community coming together in the spirit of caring for one another came in 2020 with the formation of Rio Grande Valley Mutual Aid. Operated and created by RGV organizers and community members, the collective came together “to support our often forgotten region with financial assistance to offset the damages caused by Hurricane Hanna.”
According to the 2021 Deep Rio Grande Valley/South Texas Hurricane Guide, Hurricane Hannah “flooding covered swaths of western Willacy, eastern Hidalgo, and western Cameron several days after the event.” Cities like Weslaco and Mercedes experienced flood damage for the third consecutive year with the Floods of June 2018 and June 2019 still in the homeowner’s memories.
Hannah left tens of millions in property damage with “hundreds of poorly built structures sustained roof, wall, and window damage.” Dozens of self-help and “older trailer-type homes were demolished in colonias from north Weslaco through east Edinburg.”
Responding to a slow state and federal response in addition to the financial insecurities of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers took to social media to gather help. They countered the incorrect narrative of our region as disposable. Part of their first Instagram post stated: “We are all familiar with hearing things like what was broadcasted on Good Morning America, calling the Rio Grande Valley a “good spot” for hurricane Hanna to have landed because there wasn’t a lot of people that lived there.”
To make up for the governmental failure, they began fundraising. “We urge you to share this and donate yourself, especially if you didn’t know the Rio Grande Valley existed before or you were born in the RGV and moved away,” they stated on Instagram, “We are trying our best to help our people survive these extreme conditions, without any help from our government who doesn’t care about poor Black and Brown folks.”
Through their call for action, the original collective of 10 organizers amassed a quick response for donations and volunteers. The members came together primarily online and using apps like Slack, Whatsapp, and G Suite. The collective was transparent about the process and mission. They demonstrated how they tracked and vetted incoming requests and based mutual decision-making on good faith.
The RGV Mutual Aid prioritized undocumented individuals, residents of the RGV colonias, and those with emergencies like property damage, medication in need of replacement or refrigeration, and food and supplies for families with children. In total they raised $45,000 in support for RGV families.
After the Hurricane Hannah efforts, the collective shared additional resources and community requests. They boosted local groups and individuals in need of financial assistance or resources, including general help for Flea Market Vendors during the Pandemic to some help for those impacted by the Winter Blackouts of 2020.
Adapting to disasters
Natural disasters, in addition to being a threat themselves, can open the door to further inequity and the resource extraction of a region during the recovery process. Vulnerable communities are more susceptible to disaster capitalist’s plans when they are in shock by the occurrence of a catastrophe. However, when community members and advocates are vigilant and active in the preparedness and public assistance processes, a more just recovery is possible.
Even in isolation, we have learned that dealing with shared communal trauma cannot be done in personal silos. Survival relies on people supporting and helping one another, with or without government interference.
That is a more equitable world- with the underlying reasoning for both actions being care. Care for our families, care for our neighbors, our loved ones, and our home. Perhaps that is the driving force of a just recovery; care or caring enough to prepare, to help, and to fight back when the storms subside.
To donate to the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico please visit:
How to help People in Puerto Rico After Fiona
FIONA Community Response Fund