Dear MoveOn member,
A crisis approaching the scale of Hurricane Katrina is happening across the entire state of Texas right now, according to local officials.1
The situation remains "life or death" for many, with millions of Texans facing food and water shortages following days of power outages—as the state braces for even more extreme winter weather.2
While most homes in Texas have regained power, millions of Texans are without clean water, because the storm damaged water treatment plants and caused pipes to freeze.3 Grocery store shelves are empty, due to disruptions in the food supply chain.
Texans are in desperate need of help, which is why MoveOn is partnering with the nonprofit Workers Defense Project to provide direct assistance to those in need.
The Workers Defense Project has been on the ground in Texas for years, organizing tirelessly to help workers protect and expand their rights, with a particular focus on immigrant workers who form the backbone of the construction industry.
When the coronavirus pandemic began, the Workers Defense Project set up a $3.5 million mutual aid fund to support community members who lost their jobs and were on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.
And in the wake of last week's devastating storm, the Workers Defense Project partnered with the Texas Organizing Project, which organizes Black and Latinx communities, to restart the direct relief fund to help those impacted directly because of lost work or damage to their homes. Together, these organization are:
The Workers Defense Project is doing the essential, emergency work to provide aid to those currently in crisis in Texas, while also investing in the long-term organizing needed to prevent another disaster from happening.
When tragedy strikes, MoveOn members like you have always quickly come together to assist communities in need.
MoveOn members chipped in millions of dollars to provide much-needed assistance to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and residents of Flint, MI, during the water crisis, and to bail out Black Lives Matter protesters who had been unjustly jailed.
While our donations cannot undo all of the damage, together, we can ease the burdens of those who are suffering and those who are working around the clock to help them.
Black, Latinx, and poor communities are often hit the hardest when a natural disaster strikes, and this time is no different. Communities of color were the first to face power outages, and local officials are fearing for the lives and safety of homeless people in the state.4
Your contribution today will help connect families in need to warming centers, food, and water. And you will also be lessening the financial hit from the storm. Many Texans are losing out on income, sorely needed during the economically devastating COVID-19 pandemic, and are being saddled with enormous new expenses resulting from damaged pipes bursting and roofs collapsing.
Thanks for all you do.
–Emma, Justin, Mark, Amy, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "'A Katrina-Scale Crisis': Austin Is Desperate For Help In Weather Disaster," NPR, February 19, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150080?t=5&akid=290697%2E40999114%2Ejw_NiV
2. "As Texans Recover Power, 'It's Life Or Death' For Many Bracing For More Frigid Temps," NPR, February 18, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150077?t=7&akid=290697%2E40999114%2Ejw_NiV
3. "Cracked Pipes, Frozen Wells, Offline Treatment Plants: A Texan Water Crisis," The New York Times, February 18, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150078?t=9&akid=290697%2E40999114%2Ejw_NiV
4. "Already hit hard by pandemic, Black and Hispanic communities suffer the blows of an unforgiving winter storm," The Texas Tribune, February 19, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150079?t=11&akid=290697%2E40999114%2Ejw_NiV
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