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Rural Voices
The RAPIDO Model: Disaster Preparation to Improve Disaster Recovery By Nick Mitchell-Bennett and Omar Hakeem
Texas nonprofit partnership develops innovative disaster recovery model. We here in Brownsville, TX are residents of both the Gulf Coast of Texas and the poorest city in the United States. And we are tired of cleaning up after hurricanes. Storms and flooding happen so often, and with such great consequence, it sometimes feels like we are in constant recovery mode. Beyond being a persistent poverty region, the Rio Grande Valley is located in a low-lying, flood-prone area of communities with lax building codes and standards. The Rio Grande Valley is also home to over 1,500 colonias, where the median income is just $28,928. In these unincorporated communities, 42 percent of the
population lives in poverty and 19.4 percent is near poverty. Natural disasters like hurricanes can and do destroy lives, making recovery almost impossible for many families.
Obstacles After years of working to improve the disaster recovery system, we know firsthand that the current model needs a complete redesign. It is slow and inadequate in meeting the long-term housing needs of affected low-income residents across the country.
