Workers Defense Project Provides Mutual Aid in Texas

The recent severe storm in Texas left families shivering in their homes with no heat, no running water, and limited access to basic essentials. They are workers like Fidel Guzman in Austin, who survived off instant soups, stored ice from outside in his bathtub and boiled it to have water. In a YouTube video posted by Workers Defense Project (WDP), Guzman, an active WDP member, said the state’s leaders “failed us, left us alone.” 

The failure lies not just in the abandonment of those hit hardest by the storm, but in a long history of state leaders cozying up to corporate interests and putting energy in the hands of an unregulated body of individuals who don’t even live in the state of Texas. Pinpointing the particular mismanagement of Governor Greg Abbott, Workers Defense Project calls this the #AbbottBlackout. 

For five days, the temperature stayed below freezing, some days barely topping 20. The demand for electricity spiked as Texans huddled in homes, many of which weren’t built to withstand frigid temperatures. Families began to experience rolling blackouts, but for many, the lights never came back on, preventing any repairs of the failing infrastructure. As water pipes froze and burst, people lost water in the first few days, and then millions more lost water as treatment centers froze and water in major Texas cities became unavailable or undrinkable.  

“Texas politicians and regulators were warned after the 2011 storm that more ‘winterizing’ of power infrastructure was necessary, as shown by a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation,” said Ana Gonzales of WDP. “The state’s colossal failure to require equipment upgrades and 25 years of deregulation and lack of accountability for industry got us here.”

Workers Defense sprang into action to meet the urgent needs of the community. Through thousands of wellness-check calls and texts, they identified that members needed access to healthy food, drinking water, and financial assistance to recover fully from this crisis. WDP has partnered with several organizations in Austin to deliver thousands of gallons of water, and thousands of meals to the hardest-hit populations still reeling from the power outages. The organization is collecting stories of families impacted by the #AbbottBlackout and will be sharing testimony at the state legislature during a hearing on the blackouts this week and demanding an equitable recovery for their community. 

“Workers Defense stepped up when our leaders abandoned us,” Guzman said. “I’ve had to go back to work to make ends meet after losing a week’s wage, and Workers Defense has been there for me after work so that I can get a warm meal and recover. So many families are still without water and a stable food source, and Workers Defense has made all the difference to support our families.”

Workers Defense will be providing $2 million in direct financial assistance to families experiencing financial hardship due to the Abbott Blackout through their Power Up Texas Fund. You can contribute here.