Brickaveli makes a plea for togetherness.
uniting to survive in Houston, Texas
Brickaveli calls on la raza to get ready, stand together, and safeguard every life in a disaster—including neighbors, the elderly, and those locked up in prison.
The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”— Niccolò MachiavelliHOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, July 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — During a gathering focused on disaster readiness, officials outlined what la gente should anticipate when hurricanes, floods, freezes, and other weather events strike Houston. Brian Murray from the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, along with Brooke Campbell of United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance, talked about water, canned goods, medication, flashlights, radios, emergency contacts, insurance details, and rehearsed family evacuation plans. They cautioned families not to postpone action until the power fails, streets are underwater, or store shelves are bare. Every household must know where to go, whom to call, and how to reunite. The presenters urged neighbors to watch over one another, especially older adults, children, people with disabilities, and households without a vehicle. Emergency personnel may be overwhelmed, roads may close, and aid may not reach every neighborhood quickly.
Brickaveli was present alongside Loke G, listening and raising questions from a perspective that is rarely included in such discussions. He arrived as a first-generation Chicano speaking for the barrio, those behind bars, and the people who are seldom heard. After spending a decade in prison, he lived through hurricanes, floods, and freezing conditions while confined behind steel doors. For Brickaveli, everything boiled down to a single idea:
Solidarity is the key to surviving natural disasters. La gente cannot wait until the water climbs to meet their neighbors or until the lights go out to find food, medicine, and clean water. The barrio must prepare before the storm arrives. That means knowing who lives next door. Check on mothers, grandparents, disabled individuals, and families without transportation. Find out who owns tools, a generator, knows first aid, or requires assistance leaving. Government aid, insurance policies, and emergency responders all matter. But when everything collapses at once, those systems might not reach every block in time. Insurance cannot pull a family out of rising water. A car cannot cross a flooded street.
A cell phone is useless when batteries die or towers go down. Sometimes the first rescuer is the neighbor two houses away. Families should memorize the key numbers. Call 911 when someone faces immediate danger, is seriously hurt, trapped, drowning, or in a life-threatening emergency. Call 211 for shelter details, food, transportation, utility assistance, disaster relief, and nonprofit resources. Call 311 for non-emergency city services such as fallen trees, debris, road damage, and other local concerns. Write those numbers down. Every household should also own a battery-powered or hand-crank radio. When the internet and cell networks fail, the radio might be the only way to receive warnings, shelter locations, evacuation orders, and updates. A proper emergency kit should include drinking water, canned or dry food, a manual can opener, flashlights, batteries, a radio, first-aid supplies, prescription medication, phone chargers, power banks, blankets, hygiene items, extra clothing, masks, gloves, cash, and pet supplies. Keep identification cards, birth certificates, medical records, property documents, and insurance policies safe inside a waterproof bag or container.
La familia needs a plan. Everyone should know where to go, whom to call, and where to meet if separated. Parents should rehearse with their children and figure out how to assist neighbors who cannot evacuate on their own. Cars should be topped off before a storm, but no one should assume that a truck or SUV can handle floodwater. Water can conceal deep holes, strong currents, and broken roads. A truck can be replaced. A life cannot. Insurance becomes critical after the storm passes. Homeowners and renters should understand what their policy covers before disaster strikes. Take photos of homes, vehicles, tools, furniture, and valuable items. Afterward, document damage before cleaning up, keep receipts for hotels, food, repairs, and emergency supplies, and store policy numbers where they can be accessed easily.
For Brickaveli, though, the meeting stirred up something more profound. When Brickaveli and Loke G asked what incarcerated individuals should do during a disaster, they felt the inquiry was dismissed. It appeared that prisoners were not considered important enough to be included in the discussion. Brickaveli took that personally. He remembers what dangerous weather felt like while locked up. During Hurricane Harvey, major thunderstorms, and the Arctic freeze, prisoners could be confined to their cells and left on lockdown for days. They could not leave, check on their children, freely call their mothers, drive away from danger, or buy water, blankets, food, batteries, and medicine. Their lives depended entirely on whether the prison was prepared and whether the people running it cared enough to protect them.
Being in prison does not mean someone stops being human. People behind bars still need clean water, food, medication, working toilets, safe temperatures, emergency communication, and a genuine evacuation plan. Their families deserve to know whether their loved ones are alive and safe. A sentence should not become a death sentence because someone failed to prepare. Storms do not care if a person is rich or poor. They do not care if someone lives in the suburbs, el barrio, an apartment, a trailer, or a prison cell. When the lights go out and the water rises, money and status may mean little. What matters is preparation, communication, and whether la gente is willing to look out for each other.
Brickaveli’s message is straightforward: do not wait for someone else to save the hood. Know your neighbors. Build a plan. Gather supplies. Check on the vulnerable. Share information. Protect the children. Remember the elderly. Do not forget the prisoners. When disaster arrives, survival is not just about what one person has inside the house. It is about whether the whole comunidad is ready to stand firm together. **Unity is not merely a word. When the storm hits, la unión de la raza can keep people alive.
Pablo Olavarrieta
KBT
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