September 26, 2024
RGV Mutual Aid: Helping the Valley Stay Safe During Extreme Weather
Story by Nina Alegre
Edited by Abigail Vela
The Rio Grande Valley is known for its subtropical climate with its hot, humid summers and mild winters. In Brownsville, the average high ranges from the lower 70s in January to the upper 90s in August. It’s tough to deal with these kinds of weather conditions all year long; whether it’s in the summer or winter, Valley residents must always search for ways to stay cool or warm!
This summer, the heat was unbearable in Texas, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Barry Goldsmith, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley, provided a summary stating that on June 4 and 5, temperatures exceeded 115°F and that many observation stations recorded a top-ten hottest August across the state.
Even though heat affects our region, the Valley has also suffered from many cold fronts, such as the 2022 freeze, which took many of us by surprise. In just 18 hours, temperatures dropped from the mid-70s to 10 to 18 degrees the following morning.
Helping Those in Need
The RGV Mutual Aid is a volunteer-run initiative led by community members and residents in the Valley. The group aims to help the houseless community and those in need affected by extreme weather conditions.
Gloria Thomas (she/her), one of the organizers, handled gathering donated dropped-off items from cities such as Brownsville, La Feria, Harlingen and San Benito both this summer and winter.
The first winter mutual aid distribution event occurred in December 2022 through the Democratic Socialists of America Rio Grande Valley Chapter and a collaboration with several independent organizers.
Thomas also mentioned she wanted the RGV Mutual Aid to be “a little less bureaucratic so that it can inspire people to do these things on their own and not rely too much on [organizations] or other structural institutions.”
From a historical view, going back to 1968, it’s important to note that the Black Panther Party fed 20,000 in 19 cities with a free breakfast program. The Panthers had other similar social programs, which included setting up children’s development centers, providing education, free food/clothing and a health clinic.
Community organizing and aid were important to the Panthers, which goes to show the importance of mutual aid throughout the hardest times in black history as a means to protect the community from racism and violence.
With this in mind, we can acknowledge that mutual aid is important when it comes to helping those in need and not turning our backs on them when they need it most.
The Challenge of Volunteer Work
On August 24, Thomas and a group of volunteers helped distribute the donated dropped-off summer items at Washington Park in Brownsville. She said, “There was a couple [of] people that were in shock that we were doing all this for free […] and I remember a person being so happy to have toothpaste and those little things.”
Yadira Marisol Hernandez (she/her), a graphic designer and another organizer for the group, said that helping out with mutual aid has shaped her to believe that the Valley needs permanent facilities or organizations that do mutual aid all year round.
Hernandez also commented that although there are challenges faced there are always people who are willing to help and volunteer. This year, South Texans for Reproductive Justice (STRJ) offered their facility to pack kits, and a good amount of people helped throughout the process.
Learning From Each Other
As Tropical Storm Francine has made its way away from our region and moved toward Louisiana as a hurricane instead, as a result, more than 15 streets in Brownsville were flooded.
This is a direct example of how the weather continues to impact our community. It shows that with temperatures reaching past the 90s and into the high 100s or freezing temperatures, there are other weather conditions we might not always be aware of if we don’t watch the news or aren’t up to date with updates anywhere news occurs in the world.
As the colorful, vibrant, lovely 956 region that we are in, we can all learn from people like Thomas and Hernandez as well as anyone who organized or volunteered with the RGV Mutual Aid in the Upper Valley, Mid Valley or Lower Valley.
You can also help out those in your community by getting in contact with the RGV Mutual Aid organizers, volunteering with them and joining them in their efforts to help those in need. It’s never too late to help in any capacity, as there will always be people in our community who are suffering from severe weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding, to name a few.
The next time you stop by someone who needs your help, remember that every small action can lead to something much bigger!
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