Housing Crisis After Winter Storm Uri--Mikayla Landes, Kristine Januskaite, Priya Mahableshwarkar
This podcast “Housing Crisis After Winter Storm Uri,” dives into the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri for low-income tenants in Austin, Texas. Climate disasters are only predicted to increase in frequency as time goes; we believe that it is imperative to understand how events like the storm are already impacting communities and what that could mean for them in the future. What we unraveled through our bottom-top approach is a multilayered issue of systemic implications that leaves certain communities more vulnerable than others.
As we dive into this podcast you hear first-hand perspectives from community members, Kecia Prince and David Rojas, about the neglect that had left their communities scrambling to pick up the pieces. Shoshana Krieger and Gabrielle Garcia, leaders in BASTA (building and strengthening tenant action) an organization that helps bring together renters under a common cause: tenants-rights. And finally, Patrick Howard, a local politician and his thoughts on the structural issues that allowed Winter Storm Uri to affect low-income residents the way it did.
The Storm
To contextualize the topic, Winter Storm Uri first hit Texas around February 13th , 2021, left 4.5 million homes without power at its peak, and ultimately caused almost 300 million dollars of damage (Stipes, 2021). Although households across all of Austin were affected, blackouts and busted pipes impacted black and brown communities with far more severity (Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis 2021). These communities were less likely to have had access to public transportation, means to stock up on essentials, and afford weather-precautions such as flood insurance.
These existing inequalities aren’t the end of the story. Utility companies prioritize keeping electricity on for downtown areas, which usually include hospitals/emergency response buildings; these areas generally do not include low-income housing. Busted pipes also cause a drinking water issue; tenants, to this day, are boiling water in efforts to filter bacteria out. Unfortunately, weather-related disaster funds often aid mid-to-higher income families, such is the case with Hurricane Harvey (Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis 2021).
These issues, as well as general political ignorance, which we uncovered through our podcast research, are issues of systemic slow violence. They are actions taken that have built up over time and now provide the unstable foundation for how our disaster-relief efforts are organized. So not only is this a political ecology, it’s the politicization of human rights.
Community Impact This fight for justice is happening in real time, and everyone can get involved, whether it be through education, volunteering, advocacy, or simply spreading the word. To volunteer with or find out more about BASTA, check out their website at bastaaustin.org. To stay up to date with Rosemont and the state of their housing, please follow their Facebook page, or follow local news (articles linked below).
Names of those featured Podcast hosts/creators: Kristine Januskaite, Mikayla Landes, and Priya Mahableshwarkar Tenants: Kecia Prince and David E. Rojas BASTA Employees: Shoshana Krieger, Gabrielle Garcia Strategic Housing Corporation of Travis County and Housing Authority of Travis County CEO and Executive Director: Patrick Howard
Media
Strategic Housing Corporation of Travis County Board Meeting December 8, 2021
Images and Video of Housing Damage, Provided by David Rojas
As we dive into this podcast you hear first-hand perspectives from community members, Kecia Prince and David Rojas, about the neglect that had left their communities scrambling to pick up the pieces. Shoshana Krieger and Gabrielle Garcia, leaders in BASTA (building and strengthening tenant action) an organization that helps bring together renters under a common cause: tenants-rights. And finally, Patrick Howard, a local politician and his thoughts on the structural issues that allowed Winter Storm Uri to affect low-income residents the way it did.
The Storm
To contextualize the topic, Winter Storm Uri first hit Texas around February 13th , 2021, left 4.5 million homes without power at its peak, and ultimately caused almost 300 million dollars of damage (Stipes, 2021). Although households across all of Austin were affected, blackouts and busted pipes impacted black and brown communities with far more severity (Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis 2021). These communities were less likely to have had access to public transportation, means to stock up on essentials, and afford weather-precautions such as flood insurance.
These existing inequalities aren’t the end of the story. Utility companies prioritize keeping electricity on for downtown areas, which usually include hospitals/emergency response buildings; these areas generally do not include low-income housing. Busted pipes also cause a drinking water issue; tenants, to this day, are boiling water in efforts to filter bacteria out. Unfortunately, weather-related disaster funds often aid mid-to-higher income families, such is the case with Hurricane Harvey (Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis 2021).
These issues, as well as general political ignorance, which we uncovered through our podcast research, are issues of systemic slow violence. They are actions taken that have built up over time and now provide the unstable foundation for how our disaster-relief efforts are organized. So not only is this a political ecology, it’s the politicization of human rights.
Community Impact This fight for justice is happening in real time, and everyone can get involved, whether it be through education, volunteering, advocacy, or simply spreading the word. To volunteer with or find out more about BASTA, check out their website at bastaaustin.org. To stay up to date with Rosemont and the state of their housing, please follow their Facebook page, or follow local news (articles linked below).
Names of those featured Podcast hosts/creators: Kristine Januskaite, Mikayla Landes, and Priya Mahableshwarkar Tenants: Kecia Prince and David E. Rojas BASTA Employees: Shoshana Krieger, Gabrielle Garcia Strategic Housing Corporation of Travis County and Housing Authority of Travis County CEO and Executive Director: Patrick Howard
Media
Strategic Housing Corporation of Travis County Board Meeting December 8, 2021
Images and Video of Housing Damage, Provided by David Rojas
Relevant further resources
● Rosemont Residents Forced to Temporarily Relocate for Winter Storm Repairs: More woes for 85 families living in Southeast apartment complex after eviction notice withdrawn - News - The Austin Chronicle
● BASTA volunteer sign up: Volunteer — BASTA (bastaaustin.org)
● https://www.bastaaustin.org/
● https://www.hatctx.com/shfc/
● Families able to return to Rosemont at Oak Valley following winter storm (fox7austin.com)
Bibliography
CNN (Director). (2021, February 15). [Video file]. On YouTube. Retrieved December 13, 2021,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zut-HpHBgUM
Stipes, C. (2021, March 29). New report details impact of Winter storm uri on Texans. Retrieved
December 13, 2021, from https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2021/march-2021/03292021-hobby-winter-storm.php# :~:text=Winter%20Storm%20Uri%20began%20to,estimated%20%24295%20billion%20i n%20damage.
Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis, R. (2021, February 20). Texas' winter storm could make life worse
for black and Latino families hit hard by power outages. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/20/texas-ice-storm-blackouts-mino rities-hardest-hit-recovery/4507638001/
● Rosemont Residents Forced to Temporarily Relocate for Winter Storm Repairs: More woes for 85 families living in Southeast apartment complex after eviction notice withdrawn - News - The Austin Chronicle
● BASTA volunteer sign up: Volunteer — BASTA (bastaaustin.org)
● https://www.bastaaustin.org/
● https://www.hatctx.com/shfc/
● Families able to return to Rosemont at Oak Valley following winter storm (fox7austin.com)
Bibliography
CNN (Director). (2021, February 15). [Video file]. On YouTube. Retrieved December 13, 2021,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zut-HpHBgUM
Stipes, C. (2021, March 29). New report details impact of Winter storm uri on Texans. Retrieved
December 13, 2021, from https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2021/march-2021/03292021-hobby-winter-storm.php# :~:text=Winter%20Storm%20Uri%20began%20to,estimated%20%24295%20billion%20i n%20damage.
Yancey-Bragg, N., & Jervis, R. (2021, February 20). Texas' winter storm could make life worse
for black and Latino families hit hard by power outages. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/20/texas-ice-storm-blackouts-mino rities-hardest-hit-recovery/4507638001/
