In 2018, Texas Housers and partner organizations urged the Texas Legislature to pass S.B. 289, a bill that allows local…
Tag: Disaster recovery
A Little Louder Episode 57: Six years past Harvey, recovery troubles remain
Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast six years ago this week, back in 2017. And though certain immediate response efforts…
Parallel Roads of Disaster Recovery: My Week in Puerto Rico, Part 2
Posters of grassroots organizations stating “We are not leaving from here” and “They are selling us” are plastered along building…
Parallel Roads of Disaster Recovery: A Week in Puerto Rico – Part 1
This blog is the first of a four part series. The following events are Julia Orduña’s recollections while traveling for…
Texas Housers calls on FEMA and HUD to act quickly and equitably with Hurricane Fiona recovery in Puerto Rico, as future storms loom
On September 18, on the 33rd anniversary of Category 3 Hurricane Hugo and two days before the 5th Anniversary of…
A Little Louder Episode 48: Five Years Later, Harvey Forgotten Survivors Caucus Speaks
Hurricane Harvey landed on Texas shores five years ago this week, dropping a historic amount of rain and flooding on…
A Little Louder Episode 45: Texas GLO and Discrimination
This week, HUD released its final determination that Texas GLO discriminated against Black and Hispanic Texans in its distribution of…
Read Texas Housers’ and Northeast Action Collective’s joint statement on HUD’s final determination of Texas GLO’s civil rights violation
JOINT STATEMENT OF NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE AND TEXAS HOUSERS ON HUD’S ISSUANCE ON MAY 16 OF A FORMAL LETTER OF…
HUD finds that Texas GLO discriminated against communities of color in $4 billion CDBG-MIT program
In a historic victory for communities of color in Houston and the Gulf Coast, the Department of Housing and Urban…
Watch community members, Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective’s press conference on Texas GLO’s neglect of neighborhoods of color
On August 22, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) asked HUD to approve a modification of GLO’s controversial decision to…
Read Texas Housers’ comments to FEMA on the efficiency and equity of their aid distribution
Comments by Julia Orduña When the Biden Administration took office in January 2021, among the first executive orders issued from…
February 21 Update: Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature continue to fail to act to help Texas freeze survivors
Less than 48 hours after Texas Housers posted a blog entry challenging Texas government officials to take 5 critical actions…
Governor Abbott and Texas Legislators: you got us in this mess, here is what you must do to fix it
A monumental failure of Texas state government is responsible for a statewide power outage causing devastation of our economy and…
Record-breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season reminds us that preparedness is the first step in disaster recovery
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted a busy hurricane season with 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes,…
Texas Housers calls on local officials to preserve communities and protect people from homelessness and displacement
The federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic was delayed and has been, at times, inconsistent and confusing. Much of the…
Disaster Recovery in Houston is a tangled mess. This is what I learned that needs to change in my first six months.
Julia Orduña is Texas Housers’ Community Navigator in the greater Houston area. She is sharing her initial impressions of working…
The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 succeeds in the House of Representatives, but more work lies ahead
The Federal Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 (RDRA) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 18, 2019…
Episode 19: Disaster recovery is leaving out renters
When a disaster hits, flooding and fires might not discriminate, but the systems and funding intended to rebuild our communities…
Here is how the Seven Principles for Disaster Recovery could be a roadmap to repair following Hurricane Dorian
The harsh toll Hurricane Dorian took on the Bahamas, Southeastern United States, and Atlantic Canada is a cruel, but unfortunately…
Two years of disaster recovery: we are holding our fire for now as we listen to survivors and ask government for a honest accounting
In the two years since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, so much has changed. There has even been some encouraging movement…
Report details the cumulative trauma of family violence and natural disaster during Hurricane Harvey
In a natural disaster, it is vital to act as quickly as possible to help those most vulnerable first. Some…
The U.S. Senate wants to establish a permanent resource to rebuild with the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act Of 2019
Disaster recovery at this moment does not work for all who need it. Structural issues like drainage or organizational issues such…
Disaster survivors often faced double the financial toll when rebuilding their homes. A new law now ensures that won’t happen.
Following a natural disaster, a survivor’s road back to normal can be long and difficult. If they are lucky enough…
These bills strengthening Texas tenants’ rights and disaster recovery could reshape our future
Texans face a host of housing issues: an inadequate amount of quality affordable homes and the lingering effects of Hurricane…
How to avoid disaster recovery Groundhog Day
There is no question that natural disasters will hit Texas again. We hope Mother Nature will keep the peace, but…
Low-income households disproportionately denied by FEMA is a sign of a system that is failing the most vulnerable
For some, Hurricane Harvey is now a distant, if not unpleasant, memory. Looking back on 2017, many Texas families will…
Lessons on disaster recovery, from the Rio Grande Valley to Puerto Rico
One year since Hurricane Maria made landfall, residents and advocates have been rebuilding and preparing themselves for the distribution of…
Texas is offering $1 billion for cities to build resilience to prepare for the next storm. But the process could leave out communities that need it most.
(Photo: A lineman checks on a downed powerlines in Port Arthur) In the last blog on Port Arthur, we predicted…
Houston coalition holds People’s Tribunal to amplify voices of vulnerable hurricane survivors
As the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey approached the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity coalition also known as HOME…
Disaster relief rolls out in the Rio Grande Valley; residents hope for just and fair process
(Home in Indian Hills colonia that experienced flooding after the June storms. Photo taken a week after the storms hit.)…