Add neighbors to disaster response
We all knew it was coming: In the days leading up to the winter storm, neighbors advised neighbors on how to prepare for the cold weather and assisted those who needed an extra hand. We all watched the weather reports as the temperature dropped dramatically.
No one expected or had any warning of the power outages.
The reality of it all came swiftly as neighborhood social media pages filled with reports of food loss and no water. The fear we felt for neighbors who are not online, our elders and families with young children was quickly realized. Those horror stories will be told for a long time. They needed help quickly.
Ordinary residents performed countless acts of kindness for one another. After a week of residents struggling to stay warm in the dark and freezing cold, the first thaw caused burst pipes and a significant amount of damage to homes. Anyone who could help shut off water, make a temporary fix until a plumber was scheduled or offer their services as a plumber lent a hand and helped their neighbors.
This is proof of the generosity of spirit of which we are all capable. It is a story of the good that starts locally and works its way outward.
An email from Ann Helmke from the San Antonio Faithbased Initiative to Sarah Woolsey, founder of the Impact Guild, sparked what we started calling Neighbors Helping Neighbors. “Research clearly indicates that the most effective and efficient method to impact community need is to act as locally as possible in expanding concentric circles,” Helmke wrote.
Thanks to founder Woolsey and employees of the Impact Guild, the Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association, the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association and more than 50 volunteers from these neighborhoods, local churches, Trinity students and friends, about 175 neighbors were helped.
Organized in hours, we knocked on doors to conduct wellness checks over three days, organized food and water deliveries and distributed flyers. We solicited donations; District 1 Councilman Robert Treviño and state Rep. Diego Bernal provided water; and state Sen. José Menéndez provided hot meals.
Beacon Hill and Alta Vista were two of many neighborhoods across the city that bore the brunt of the power outages and broken pipes. It wasn’t until after the emergency that information started coming in from the city of San Antonio, CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System — information that created more questions than answers.
There is a structure in place to help residents on a microlevel: neighborhood associations. All the registered neighborhood associations are fully accessible through the Neighborhood & Housing Services
Department. But the system — or lack of one — failed us. There were significant gaps in the accessibility of relief efforts by the city. But there is opportunity: Neighborhood associations are connected on this microlevel and with the support of City Council districts can play a bigger role in reaching neighbors on a house-by-house level. But we need timely communication and resources.
The more local the solutions, the more effective they will be.
Neighborhoods have proven their ability to rise to the challenge. There should be a structure in place in which neighborhood leaders are part of the disaster response. The communication should be two-way. Neighbors know what is needed and how it can best be delivered.
Even in the best of times, neighborhoods should be encouraged. We should have a leading voice in the decisions about our communities. In times of crisis, the resiliency of our neighborhoods could make the difference between life and death.
Christina Wright is president of the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association. Cynthia Spielman is president of the Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association.