Rural communities across Alabama are experiencing an increase in climate disasters including more severe tornadoes and hurricanes causing infrastructure insecurity (communications, internet and power outages), lack of access to food and clean water, and unaddressed trauma for impacted families.
We’re committed to working over the next 2 years with rural communities to provide training and healing support to community members who want to work to ensure that your community has a storm preparedness and response plan.
Our goal is to support rural communities protecting themselves from disastrous storms because we believe Alabama’s strength lies in thriving rural communities!
We are launching a rural canvass in partnership with Hometown Organizing Project and Political Healers project to engage in over 1,000 conversations with rural Alabamians in 5 counties that are at risk or have experienced recent climate disasters. This is the first of a four-phase project that will provide healing support, train rural residents to organize for more resilient communities, and invite them to form local climate protection teams.
What is Community Protection?
The ways in which everyday people provide resources that fill a need or safeguards a vulnerability within a community, to collective benefit. People provide community protection through neighborhood groups, through community organizations and through religious institutions, or as individuals. The most effective community protection involves a community that protects itself and when protection is a collective effort.