On the eve and pre-dawn morning of Wednesday, June 20, 2018, the Rio Grande Valley experienced hurricane-like downpour of rain averaging over a foot of rain. In many places, flash flooding occurred and displaced over 350 residents across our service area. On the second day, a saturated ground dealt with another 8 hours of continued rain affecting more neighborhoods and low-income communities. The Food Bank RGV is working to deliver food relief to the hardest hit with clean water and food.
Scattered neighborhoods, mostly low-income, are under 1-4 feet of flood water due to a tropical storm-like downpour. The State of Texas has declared the counties of Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy disaster areas. The Food Bank RGV cannot wait for aid that make come months to years from now. Clean water and food is needed now in affected areas. First numbers are over 350 people seeking shelter while early estimates show 5,000 residents stuck in water logged communities without access to stores.
The Food Bank RGV is already coordinating with county health and emergency management officials to deliver clean water and food to affected areas but financial support is needed for fuel, overtime and regular time staffing, equipment and supplies (pallets, bins, wrap, signage, etc) in order to delivery food relief efficiently and effectively in areas of low to extreme poverty.
Many of these low to extremely low income neighborhoods are still working families. The flooding and flash flooding will inhibit their ability to get to work, for their children to access feeding programs at local summer schools and in some cases, disabled person and the elderly have been hit hard financially, psychologically and physiologically. The sooner we get clean water and food into their hands, the faster they can cope with the flood and begin to get back to the road of recovery.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
